


The Rise of Iconia

by compbrain1720



Series: The Iconia Continium [2]
Category: Eureka, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stargate - All Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-29
Updated: 2014-11-08
Packaged: 2018-01-27 02:03:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 100,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1710938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/compbrain1720/pseuds/compbrain1720
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part Two of the Quadrilogy. The Iconians from "The Birth of Iconia" arrive in the future only to discover that wars happen everywhere. This story takes place in the altered universe of Star Trek: 2009, but in the time of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It contains the characters listed, but also most of the characters from "Birth". Reading "Birth" first is probably a good idea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N - This is the sequel to Birth Of Iconia. As before, we do not own Stargate, Eureka, or Star Trek. We're just fans.
> 
> For answers to any reviews on this story, please see our forum which is listed in wesleyehowell's profile on Fanfiction.net
> 
> https://www.fanfiction.net/topic/140222/100500455/1/An-answer-to-reviews-on-The-Birth-of-Iconia

"Let's get the hell out of here," Captain James T. Kirk said, standing on the surface of the Guardian Planet. He reached for his communicator to call Scotty for beam out, when everything stopped. The constant moaning of the wind through the ruins ceased, and even his friends stopped moving. He looked around him and only then realized that the power pulsating through the Guardian of Forever seemed to still be in motion. He stepped forward. "What's going on?"

The Guardian pulsed for a moment, then a man stepped through. He appeared to be human with long, graying hair and a full beard. He was shorter than Kirk, but he wore an air of authority around him like a mantel. He was dressed in a white robe with gold embroidery around every edge. He looked at Kirk for a long moment, then smiled. "Captain Kirk, it has been a long time since we last met. I am Zeus."

"I'm sorry, Sir. I don't remember ever meeting you, and I'm sure I'd remember someone called Zeus," Kirk said. "Would you mind telling me if you're responsible for…" He waved his hand at his crew, still standing motionless. "That," he finished, unsure of what else to say.

"Technically, the Guardian did it, but since I built the Guardian, I guess you could hold me responsible."

Kirk nodded. "Are you the Zeus I've read about in Greek mythology?"

Zeus pursed his lips for a moment, then sat down on a fallen pillar. He looked around for a moment at what had once been a magnificent city, then back to Kirk. "In a manner of speaking, I suppose I am."

"Then I'm sure I haven't met you."

"In your life, you haven't met me yet, but we will meet in your future. My past." He saw the look of confusion on Kirk's face, then realization.

"You're from the future, aren't you?"

"And the past," he said matter-of-factly. Kirk flashed a dangerous look at him, and he quickly continued. "Time doesn't flow for me as it does for you, Kirk. I created the Guardian… Well, actually, I set the parameters for it, and it sort of…. built itself, but that's not why I'm here.

"In your future, you will meet the greatest ally that the Federation will ever have. They are incredibly powerful, but when you meet them, they will be close to helpless. They will have just been catapulted through time after defeating enemies that have destroyed civilizations across several galaxies.

"You will have the privilege of first contact with them… You and your great grandson, anyway. What you will need to do is not let fear lead you. You will marvel at what they've accomplished, but don't let that blind you to the fact that they will need your help."

"What kind of help will they need?" Kirk asked.

Zeus ignored the question, but rather stood and walked over to the Guardian. He placed a hand on it and rested it there for several moments. Then he seemed to shake himself and looked once again at the ruins which stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Time has been damaged, Kirk. That's why I built the Guardian. It was to ensure that time fractured no more than it has. The Guardian is why you were drawn here today. Certain points in time are permanent. No matter how reality changes, these focal points will remain fixed. This keeps time from fracturing, and realities from overlapping."

"How was time damaged?"

"A fixed point in time was changed." Zeus was looking at the horizon as he spoke, but now he turned to face Kirk. "Will be changed. By you." At Kirk's look, Zeus laughed. "Don't worry, Kirk. You won't remember our conversation in enough detail to change your future. Not until you're responsible enough to not change it anyway."

The robed figure began to pace. "The Guardian scans through time constantly, and sees what needs to be done to maintain things as they are. Then, it sets in motion the events that will lead to the necessary outcomes." Kirk looked disbelieving. "I know, that sounds incredible, but it is fact. Without the Guardian, time would have completely disintegrated by now. As it is, things are considerably changed from what they had been." He stopped pacing and gazed at Kirk. "Would you believe that originally, there was just a handful of different species throughout the universe and that humans had been spread throughout the Milky Way by another culture? Now, you will find no evidence of that, because it was eons ago, but it's the truth."

"Why are you telling me this?" Kirk asked, starting to lose patience.

Zeus sighed and sat again. "Because it is something you will need to know. When the Guardian places you back in the time frame of your friends, you won't remember what I've told you. It will come back to you in the future, and you will have the information when you need it." He saw that Kirk looked skeptical. "I'm sorry. I haven't had anyone to actually talk to for a long time. I've missed it so I've rambled. You won't need the information about the Guardian, but I suppose you knowing it won't hurt anything. You simply need to know about the allies. Remember. Don't let fear guide you." He stood and addressed the Guardian. "Take me back."

The scene that showed itself in the portal held steady on the scene surrounding Kirk, but the city showing inside the aperture was not as decayed as reality. It seemed as though it was a newer version of the world around him.

"You came from the past?" Kirk asked.

"The future," Zeus said as he stepped through the portal. The scene disappeared, and the wind started howling again. Kirk pulled out his communicator and asked Scotty to beam them aboard. As far as he was concerned, nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all.

Twenty-Seven Years Later…

Admiral James T. Kirk, Commander of Starfleet, was seated, speaking to Captain John Harriman. Normally, there would be little contact between someone like Kirk and Harriman, but as the younger man was, tomorrow morning, leaving on the shakedown cruise of the newest in the line of ships named, Enterprise, the B model, Kirk was watching his career closely. The two had become friends over the last year, while the Excelsior class vessel was being built. Today, they were discussing how the original Enterprise, under Kirk's command, had met two gigantic warships locked in a battle which had lasted for almost a hundred fifty thousand years. While their crews had died, and in fact, their entire civilizations had crumbled, the ships had carried on fighting, controlled by their artificial intelligences.

As Kirk was describing how he had bluffed the ships out of Federation territory, he began to feel his head swimming. Suddenly, he found himself chopping wood for a wood stove. He was dressed in a strange uniform. It had all the markings of a captain's uniform, but it wasn't one he recognized. He looked around in satisfaction, and found a strange, balding man approaching. He questioned none of what was happening, although he recognized very little. He thought he was on an Idaho ranch belonging to his uncle, but he may have been imagining that.

Before he could place anything else, however, he was back in his seat, facing Harriman. "Excuse me, John. I'm not feeling too well. Must have been the brandy with McCoy last night." He chuckled softly.

Harriman gave him a strange look, but rose swiftly. "Of course, Sir," he said and left the room.

Kirk rose to his feet, unsteadily, and walked to the window that looked out into the central section of the starbase. He saw Enterprise B, in it's final stages of being built. When he looked up, he could see his personal flagship, Enterprise-A resting, umbilicals hooked to her primary hull and nacelles. She was referred to simply as "A" most of the time and Harriman's ship would be referred to as "B" as a distinction between them. Normally, there would be no two ships with the same name, let alone registration number, but the name could not be retired due to tradition. Nor would Kirk allow his ship to be retired, or rechristened. Instead A was refitted and armed to the teeth.

He gazed for a long moment at his ship, then another wave of dizziness hit him. He found himself laying on the floor of a ravine, with some kind of a collapsed catwalk on top of him. He was in pain, and the bald man was gazing into his eyes. "It was… fun," Kirk told him. He felt his life ebbing away, and he said, "Oh my..." quietly before dying.

Then, it was as if a dam had been broken and he suddenly understood what he had seen. He recognized the bald man. He knew that he had in fact, just lived his own death, but in a different reality. The bald man was his great grandson, who hadn't even been born yet. Wouldn't be born for another twenty five years. They had entered the Nexus, and had proceeded to stop Soran from diverting the energy ribbon by destroying the Viridian star. He remembered all that had happened in that lifetime. His father congratulating him on his graduation from the Academy, finding his brother's dead body on Deneva… turning him over and seeing his lifeless face.

His brother was still alive in this reality, and the fact that he had died young in the other timeline shook him to the core. He couldn't imagine his brother not being around.

He remembered covering his son's lifeless form on the rapidly deteriorating Genesis planet while Saavik told him how David was a hero. His eyes clouded over as the memories of so many lost friends assaulted him. Losing Spock when Khan detonated the Genesis device, and seeing him raise an eyebrow when he was brought back to life through fal-tor-pan and remembered his friends.

Not only were his friends different, but Enterprise herself was different. She was approximately the same size and shape, but her nacelles were a different shape, and her bridge was much more open on his ship then in the other reality.

But the thing which he found strangest was that he was now a being called a Q, just like Spock. But not the one who had been his first officer for years - at least not yet. That Spock had not reached the point in his lifetime where he became Q.

Seventy-Five Years Later...

The USS Enterprise, NCC-1701D, under the command of Jean Luc Picard, had been placed at the disposal of the science team on Regula I. The science station had been in service for many decades, with Carol Marcus, Jim Kirk's former science officer, in charge. She and her son, David, had devised a method of terraforming a planet in a matter of hours instead of years. The implications for the Federation were staggering, if it could be perfected. The project, Genesis, had been pushed to the background for years while David worked on solving problems inherent in the procedure. Initially, he had used protomatter to solve the problems, but from the equations, was able to eventually compensate for the problems inherent in using regular matter. Now, the device was ready to be tested, and Picard and his crew were looking for a suitable planet for use as the test subject.

Picard's science officer, Curzon Dax, was bored. He had scanned literally thousands of worlds, none of which fitted the specifications of totally lifeless. Granted, there were lots of totally lifeless planets, but none were of the correct size and distance from their star for the experiment to be useful. "What good is a terraforming missile if it can't be used anywhere?" he thought. He knew that David Marcus was Admiral Kirk's son, and Commodore Picard's grandfather, but the Genesis device was useless if they couldn't find a place to use it. "Oh well," he thought, "yours is not to know, but just to do. If you hadn't gotten yourself busted, you would be making the decisions now, instead of Picard."

The tactical officer, Captain Martok, announced, "Incoming message from Regula I, Commodore."

"On Screen, Captain," Picard said. The two men were of the same rank, but while Picard was the regular commander of Enterprise, Martok was the battle Captain, and would assume command of the battle bridge in any situation requiring the separation of the ship. Picard would retain command of his bridge, and ultimately, any fleet traveling with Enterprise, including the battle section.

The screen wavered as the image of David Marcus came into being. "Hello, Commodore," he said. He was careful to treat Picard with the dignity a man in his position deserved, and while he would refer to him as Jean Luc in private, he would never call him by his first name in front of his crew.

"Dr. Marcus. It is a pleasure to see you again, Sir."

"Likewise. I have received a communique from Starfleet, saying that we are to be picked up by you and ferried to a set of coordinates. There we will meet with Admiral Kirk and A. Have you received similar orders?"

Picard looked at Martok, who shook his head. "Negative, Doctor," he told his grandfather. "I will contact Starfleet immediately and investigate, however."

Before he could give the order, Martok announced, "Incoming message from Starfleet, Sir."

"Split screen, Captain," Picard ordered. When Admiral Kirk's image appeared, Picard stood. "Good afternoon, Admiral," he said. Behind Kirk, Picard recognized the bridge of A, so it was apparent that they were already headed for the rendezvous spot. "I have been speaking to Dr. Marcus. Am I to assume that these are orders complementing his?"

"They are, indeed, Commodore. Please follow the orders to the letter, and when we rendezvous, I will fill you in on the details."

Kirk instructed Picard to pick up Marcus and to then travel to Wolf 359, a star system just seven point eight light years from Earth. There, A and D were to rendezvous, then travel to a location Kirk would disclose at that time.

Wolf 359…

Enterprise D glided to a gentle stop just a few kilometers from A. Martok contacted the communications officer on Kirk's ship, Uhura, and they arranged a meeting. The senior staff of D were to beam to A for a briefing. There, they would be informed of the nature of this operation.

Picard rarely got to board Enterprise A. When he did, though, it was a distinct pleasure. The ship was nowhere near the size of his own Enterprise, but it seemed more spacious. Because of automation, installed and improved over the years by Mr. Scott, the genius who was still Kirk's chief engineer, all functions could be controlled by a handful of people. As a result, the ship that once held four hundred thirty-two people, now had a crew compliment of less than fifty. What was amusing to Picard, was that the handpicked crew were all senior officers in their chosen fields. When A left spacedock, it did so with the most senior people in Starfleet manning all stations. Because of this, the ship would almost certainly never see battle because her crew was just too valuable. However, if she ever did, she could be just as nasty as her younger sister, D.

Picard, his first officer William Riker, Battle Captain Martok, and Doctor Marcus materialized on board A. Standing at the transporter console was Captain of Engineering, Montgomery Scott.

"Scotty!" Picard said, happy to see the engineer. "How are you?"

"I'm doing just fine, Commodore. And yerself?"

"Fine, Scotty. I know Geordie is looking forward to seeing you. He has some ideas he wants to discuss when you get the chance. Just make sure he stays sober this time, please?"

Scotty laughed with Picard as he remembered the last time he and his friend 'discussed engineering ideas'. Riker also remembered the incident but Martok was curious. "What happened?" he asked.

Scotty turned beet red, and Picard seemed to develop a keen interest in a point just to the right of the sliding doors of the transporter room. Riker wasn't sure what he should say, but Marcus asked Scotty, "Was that the time my grandson got a call to bail out a couple of engineers from the neighboring star system?"

Martok looked shocked as Scotty nodded sheepishly. "It was a matter of honor, Sir," he told the Klingon. A couple of centaurans got the idea that their sailer was faster than the one me'n Geordie were buildin'. They thought they could beat us, but we used the gravitational field from the secondary star in the system to slingshot us into the lead."

"What they didn't know," Picard said, "Was that Centauran law prohibits such a maneuver because of the danger of incineration."

"Ach," Scotty scoffed. "There was no danger. We knew what we were doin, Sir."

"Of course you did, but they had no idea that the paper they cited in their law was written by you and Mr. LaForge."

"We're always conservative in a paper like that. Better to be safe than sorry, but LaForge knew we were safe. He refigured right before we did it. Passed within twenty thousand kilometers of the surface of the star."

Riker leaned close to Martok and said in a low voice. "Last time I heard this story, it was twenty-five thousand kilometers."

Scotty laughed. "Aye, an next time, it'll be fifteen. The Admiral is waiting in the briefing room for us, gentlemen."

The four from D exited the transporter room accompanied by Scotty, and headed down the hall to the turbolift. Picard did know the layout of A quite well. He had spent many happy hours on board her as a child as he learned at the knee of his hero and great grandfather.

They arrived very quickly at the briefing room. Kirk's security chief was waiting outside the door. Seeing them, he spun around, and unlocked the door. They were ushered into the room where they found Kirk and his two best friends in all the universe, Spock and Doctor McCoy. The five sat down, Scotty beside Dr. McCoy, and the rest facing the officers of A.

"Welcome," Kirk greeted the newcomers. As a consequence to Picard's relationship with this man, all of them had met several times before, so there were no introductions to be made. Rather, the pleasantries of friends who hadn't seen each other in quite some time.

Once they had settled, Kirk explained. "We received a subspace message from a Klingon scout ship a couple of days ago. Their captain, Klaa, reported that they had passed within a few kilometers of a massive fleet while cloaked."

Spock touched a button on the table in front of him and the central viewer showed a ship that looked more like a city than anything that should ever be in space.

"This is an image of one of the ships," Kirk said. "Spock? Would you care to elaborate?"

"Certainly, Admiral," the Vulcan said. "The design is fascinating. It seems to be more a spaceborne city than a ship, although what drives it is, as yet, unknown. Klingon scans picked up a remarkably resilient shield surrounding the city which appears to be capable of both keeping the ship airtight and deflecting almost any type of weapon we could throw at them." He flipped a switch and another vessel appeared on the screen. "This vessel appears to be constructed in an entirely different manner. It is highly technological in it's appearance. It is somewhat similar to a Klingon vessel in shape, except for the vertical fins on the top and bottom of both wings." Another switch and another vessel appeared. "This vessel is somewhat analogous to a Terran aircraft, with delta pitched wings and tail section." Another picture, which blew the mind. It showed a city, but of a completely different design from the first one. This city appeared to be unable to land on a planet, but instead was massive and had buildings above and below the center line. The previous city ship had shown incredibly tall towers, graceful in their architecture. This one, equally as graceful, had no soaring towers, but massive buildings with beautiful designs. The city gave the impression of being shorter than the first, but according to the scale shown beside it, the buildings were equally as tall. Indeed, if the scale was correct, the volume of this vessel would be several times that of the first city.

Spock let the aspects of these vessels soak in. "These are the least of the militaristic vessels in the fleet. If we include the small one and two man crafts in this convoy, there are well over ten thousand vessels, and each of the larger ships appears to be equally as well armed as either of our ships. Many of them are showing severe battle damage, however."

"Recommendations, Mr. Spock?" Kirk asked.

"While there is evidence that this fleet has been through a harsh battle, I recommend we commence diplomatic relations. At the very least, we need to ascertain if they pose a threat."

"Thank you," Kirk said. He looked at his son and great grandson. "Gentlemen?"

"Why are you even asking our opinions?" David wanted to know. "Are you honestly considering fighting them?"

Kirk's expression didn't shift in the slightest. "I'm asking what you think, David. You're a scientist, and your opinion is valued by Starfleet in general, me in particular. So what do you think?"

"I think we'd be foolish to even consider fighting them, if for no other reason than the sheer number of ships they have."

"While I agree with Dr. Marcus," Picard said, "I think we must ask ourselves another question. Are we certain all of these ships are allies with each other? What if we are looking at both sides of a battle that is figuratively licking it's wounds before resuming hostilities?"

Spock lifted one eyebrow, then asked, "May I ask what would make you even consider such a notion?"

Picard shook his head. "I don't consider it likely, Mr. Spock. I do, however, consider it a possibility. As for what would make me consider it, I consider it a possibility because we must consider everything, no matter how farfetched it may be."

Kirk eyed Martok, something about the Klingon's bearing said that he had something to say. "Battle Captain Martok?"

Martok looked from Kirk to Picard. "I agree with Commodore Picard that we must examine all possibilities, but I think it highly unlikely that this is two opposing forces. None of the signs are there. They look to me like someone who has recently fought a battle and taken heavy casualties."

"Heavy casualties?" Riker asked. "With all due respect, Captain Martok, there are over ten thousand ships out there, Martok. How many do you think there were before they took heavy casualties?"

"I understand how unlikely that seems, Riker, but I believe it to be the case."

Kirk was examining the wide angle view that showed several ships at once. "I think you're right, Martok." He looked at the rest of the group. "I think that, regardless of anything else, we need to try to establish diplomatic relations. This doesn't seem to be the sort of fleet we want traversing our space unescorted. I'll contact President Sulu and inform him of our findings, but I think it will be up to you, Spock, to establish relations. Will that work?"

Spock nodded gravely. "I believe so, Admiral."

The group from D returned to their ship, and the fleet of two ships got underway, heading to a rendezvous that held, at this point in time, only a mystery.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: We do not own Trek, Eureka, or Stargate. Please review!

Thor stood on the bridge of the O'Neill, gazing out at the Iconian fleet. He looked at the stars, and didn't recognize their positions. What was disturbing was that some of the stars appeared to be where they should be, but only if he was three hundred thousand years in the future. Some stars were out of place completely, or didn't correlate at all to any stars in Avalon. It was frustrating, because at times, he felt like he should know where he was, but then a star would be there that shouldn't be or one would be missing. To top it off, none of the ships were able to enter hyperspace. Everytime they tried, the engines simply overheated. The real kicker, as Jack would say, was that all of the Wraith, five Stasis ships, and three of the Jaffa ships were missing. No one had any idea what happened to them and there were no signs that they would be able to find them.

A presence was suddenly beside him. "Hi, Thor. Good to see you made it."

Thor turned and saw his friend, Jack O'Neill. "Hello, O'Neill. Where have you been? It's been two days since the battle."

Jack laughed. "Thor, buddy, it's been a heck of a lot longer than that."

Thor looked out the window at the frustrating stars again. "I would hazard that it has been three hundred thousand years, except for some stars that are frustratingly either there or not."

"Three hundred two thousand, four hundred seventy one years, to be exact."

Thor nodded. "Where are we now?"

"Same place. The extra stars and the missing ones? They're because reality kinda hiccupped."

Again, Thor nodded. "I think I understand, O'Neill. Two or more realities converged. Was it not time for the Doci to die?"

Jack shook his head. "Yes and no. Thor, the Commander, and the First tell me that the reality they came from… the one we are now in, was a fractured one. As far as we can tell, five realities, possibly many more, converged into one, and it gets even more complicated because this is an altered version of the fractured reality."

Thor smiled. "I think I'll be needing some aspirin on a regular basis then, O'Neill."

Jack grinned and looked out the window at the starscape. "You said it, Buddy."  
Later that evening...

Merlin had gathered the leaders of Iconia into the Camelot council chambers again. "Ladies and gentlemen. Some of us have now come full circle. Some of our older Ancients and Q are actually from this time period we find ourselves in now. The First, Commander and myself are out there approaching, as are younger versions of the twins, among others. They are about to visit and will be seeking diplomatic relations with us as we are now in their territory. The Jean Luc Picard who is approaching must not know about me for now, nor can the Ambassador Spock who is approaching know about the First.

"I will remain on board the sphere, as it is safe for me to remain, but some of the Q who exist in this time period as Q already, must leave. For example the First and the Commander as well as Hippaforalkus must return to the continuum for now. They are not gone, however. Their former selves are here, and are Q, although at the present time, Riker does not know he is Q."

The First stepped forward and addressed the crowd. "For my part, there are two of me in this time period already. One who is Q and one not. The version of me who is Q will take my place here, on the sphere as representative leader for those of us who are Q. While I was him long ago, it will be beneficial to have him in this position, so that the people of this time period understand that he is the Spock Prime that they know. While I would consider such a situation to be mere semantics, they will not. Therefore, I take my leave of you for now." With that, the First disappeared in a flash, and on the other side of the platform, a man in a Vulcan softsuit flashed into being. He was clearly the same person who had just disappeared, and even though there was absolutely no difference in his appearance to give away his age, there was a general sense that he was younger, and didn't have as much experience. Or was there?

"Greetings, Iconians. I am called Spock. I am the same individual who just left these chambers, albeit an earlier incarnation of him. It was our thought that my presence here would facilitate the upcoming negotiations with the people of this time period."

Merlin stepped forward and held his hand up in the Vulcan Salute. "Greetings, Ambassador. It is good to see you. Peace and long life."

Spock raised his hand in the salute as well, and said, "Greetings, Merlin. It is gratifying to see you as well, however I question the use of the traditional salute when we are both Q, and it is well known that I am here as a proxy for my much older self. Obviously peace and long life will be ours."

"That is true Mr. Ambassador. But I think that the traditional greeting is just that. Traditional."

"In that case, Live Long and Prosper, Merlin," Spock returned, and stepped back to let Merlin have the stage again.

Merlin announced to the crowd, "I am going to leave Doctor Jackson to be our representative to the people coming, and Jade O'Neill and Nefreyu will act as our ambassadors. They are capable, and will be able to handle the negotiations better than anyone else. The three have my full support and trust." There was general applause and cheering as Merlin explained who would meet with the Federation and Jackson was gratified to know that he had the support of the population in general.  
Meeting with the Federation…

Thor was on the bridge of the O'Neill when two ships dropped out of warp. They were of a fascinating design, and looked nothing like the ships surrounding his. Merlin had told him that the Iconians would be limited to warp speed now, and that one of the ways in which the people they were meeting with could help was in helping with getting warp drives running.

Thor contacted Scotty and Geordie and asked them to transport to his ship. A gateway opened near him, and the two walked through.

They looked at the approaching ships and both of them were absolutely shocked. Scotty turned to Geordie and said in a nostalgic voice, "Now there's a coupla lasses I never expected to see again."

Geordie grinned. "I can't wait to get my hands dirty on her warp core!"

Thor looked from one to the other. "Am I to understand that you know these ships?"

"Know them?" LaForge asked, incredulous.

"Laddie," Scotty supplied, "you're looking at two of the first ships we were chief engineers on."

"Of course it's been one or two years since we worked on them," Geordie added.

All of the sudden, a voice came through the bridge speakers. "To the unidentified fleet: This is Admiral James T. Kirk, of the United Federation of Planets vessel, Enterprise-A. Your fleet is currently in space that is considered to belong to the Federation. We request that you state your intentions."

Thor looked around at those present. "James T. Kirk? Is he really 'the Commander'?"

Scotty nodded. "Aye, Lad. But at this point in his life, he's never met you. He's Commander, Starfleet right now."

"Is he Q?"

"I wouldna be the one to ask. I'm not Q. I think Doctor Jackson would be the lad to talk to about that"

Thor agreed. He signaled for Jackson to join them on the O'Neill and in a few moments, he flashed into being beside the Asgard.  
On Enterprise-D

Picard looked out at the ships surrounding them. They were approaching a vessel that had similar lines to those of a Klingon vessel, but much cleaner. He was looking at the different ships. Some looked very extravagant: giant cities in space. Others were small one and two man fighters. He was marvelling at the sheer number, when a familiar flash of light appeared beside him.

"Mon Capitan! So wonderful to see you today!" Q said exuberantly.

"Q!" Picard spat out the word. "Why are you here this time?"

"Why just to see you off on what will be a glorious journey."

"What is so glorious about it?"

"It will be the last time I bother you, of course."

"Really? That does sound glorious," Riker said from behind them.

Q turned and put his hands over his heart, "You wound me, Riker. This is an historic moment in human history. You are going to meet your betters, Riker." His voice lost it's exuberance and became serious, eerily reminding the bridge crew of Picard when he was giving commands. "These people in their ships, surrounding you, could blow Enterprise out of space with just a simple flip of a switch or push of a button. In some cases, by moving a rock. You would do well to remember that when you speak to them. They are the 'demons of air and darkness'. The Iconians. Gaze at them and see your fate." His voice lost it's edge, and took on a lighthearted tone. "But do not fear! If you treat them the way you should, you could count them as friend rather than foe."

With that, Q was gone. Riker looked at Picard and raised his eyebrows. Picard however was staring out at the Fleet surrounding them in wonder. His love of Archeology was rearing its head and he was studying the fleet as an archeologist rather than a Starfleet Commodore.

"Hail the A." he ordered.

"Commodore," Kirk said when he appeared on the viewscreen.

"Sir, we have just had a visit from Q."

"What happened?" Kirk asked.

"He told us that these people are the Iconians," Picard said wonderingly.

"The Iconians? I thought they disappeared over three hundred thousand years ago."

"Yes sir. And if Q was telling the truth, we may now know what happened to them."

"I see. Commodore, I have just been contacted by Supreme Commander Thor and High Chancellor Jackson. They are ready to beam over and meet with us. We will meet in your briefing room."

The viewscreen went dark and Picard turned to Riker. "Let's meet the Iconians, Number One."  
The Briefing...

The meeting took place in the Enterprise-D's conference room just off the bridge. Seated at the head of the table was Commodore Picard, and on his left side was Commander Riker, and the D's tactical officer, Battle Captain Martok. On Picard's right was Admiral Kirk, Ambassador Spock and Enterprise-A's chief medical officer, who was also head of Starfleet Medical, Doctor Leonard McCoy. At the other end of the table was Daniel Jackson, Thor, Jack Carter and Jack O'Neill.

Carter was watching Picard closely. He knew that at this point in time, Picard was not Q, however, the Commander, Admiral Kirk, was. He found it fascinating that the man at the table, his grandfather, had no inkling that later in his life, he would become one of the most famous, not to mention, most powerful men in history.

Jackson took the lead. "Gentlemen. I would like to thank you for meeting with us today. My people, have been fighting a war with a very formidable opponent. We have won this war, but winning has left us virtually defenseless. I understand that this is considered Federation space and although it used to be Iconian space, I will not dispute your claim to it. Our wish is to find our home and settle ourselves there."

"Your home?" Kirk asked.

"Admiral, you have to understand where, and when we came from. The final battle of our war propelled us three hundred thousand years into our future. Your present. This space surrounding us was our home in the past. We had built a dyson sphere in which we were going to settle. It is very near to this location. We simply want to settle in that."

Ambassador Spock asked, "How did your final battle send you so far into the future?"

Jackson did not answer immediately. He looked at Kirk and reached out with his mind. He found that Kirk was, indeed, Q, although none of the others at the table were as of yet. "Ambassador," he said to Spock. "My reason would be hard for you to believe." He turned to Kirk. "Admiral. If you search your mind, I believe you will find that I am being truthful."

Kirk remembered, years before, when he had met Zeus on the Guardian Planet. He understood that these people were the ones Zeus had been speaking of. He also understood that he was Q and that three of the people sitting across from him were as well. Slowly, he nodded his head.

"Jack Carter, Jack O'Neill, and myself are all of a race called Q." At this, Picard, Riker, and Martok all tensed. The movement wasn't lost on Jackson. "I understand you have had some rather, less than amicable meetings with the Q. One Q in particular. I assure you, Commodore Picard. We are not all like him."

"I have trouble believing that," Martok said, belligerently.

"So do I," Riker said, looking at Picard.

"Agreed," Picard said. He turned to Kirk, "Admiral. If these people are indeed of that race, I doubt very much that they can be trusted."

Kirk nodded, but said, "Relax, Picard." His great-grandson turned a look of absolute disbelief on him. "I understand what you are saying, but it's our duty to hear them out."

Spock looked perplexed as well. "Admiral, while I agree with you in principle, I must agree with the Commodore. From our dealings with the Q in the past, they cannot be trusted."

"Gentlemen, you're basing your ideas of the Q on your dealings with one individual," Jackson argued. "You know that we could simply disappear with our entire fleet, and you'd never even know where we went. But the fact is, we won't do that." Carter held up his hand to Jackson. "Go ahead," Daniel said to him.

"Gentlemen," Carter said, "I know the Q you are thinking of. He's arrogant, undisciplined, and basically, a real jerk."

"He was," O'Neill said.

"Yeah," Carter agreed. "But he spent around a hundred and fifty years in discipline for his past actions and he's changed now. No matter what he told you, the Q as a group do not condone how he treated you."

"Well, I don't know how he could have gone through a hundred fifty years discipline. We dealt with Q just a few months ago, and in fact, saw him right before you beamed over," Riker said.

"Time sort of flows backwards and forwards, sometimes even at the same time, for the Q," O'Neill said. He looked at Jackson, who was shaking his head at his statement. "Well it does!" he asserted.

"Yes," Jackson said, "It does. Gentlemen, I assure you that Janus, the Q you have dealt with, is a changed person now."

The starfleet people considered at length. Kirk knew he could simply order them to back down, but that would accomplish nothing. They had to believe on their own.

"I am willing to move forward with the understanding that we may pull out of these negotiations at any time, and for any reason," Picard finally said carefully.

Riker nodded, and Spock said, "It is logical that we cannot base our actions concerning Q on one individual. I am willing to move ahead with the negotiations on the stipulation Commodore Picard has made."

Jackson looked at Kirk who shrugged his shoulders. "I think that's the best you'll get for now, Chancellor Jackson. I suggest you take it."

"As the one Iconian here who is not of the Q, I would like to say you are making a good decision," Thor said. "The Iconians who are Q have helped the rest of us immensely."

"If I may ask, how many of the Q are there in the Iconian Alliance?" Picard asked.

"All of them," O'Neill said matter of factly.

Picard grimaced, then pressed, "And how many is that?"

Jackson looked toward the ceiling for a moment, then said, "I believe the number is six hundred seventy-three."

"Six hundred seventy-four," Carter corrected.

Jackson glanced at him and said, "No. Seventy three. Remember? We recently found out that Tempest is actually Becca, so don't count her twice."

O'Neill raised a finger as if he was going to argue, then said. "That's right."

Kirk was watching bemused. While he was Q, and had met several from the continuum, this was the first time he had met these three, although he could sense that they were fully aware of his status.

Picard was surprised. "You're telling me that the total number of individuals in the Q continuum is only six hundred seventy-three?"

"Yes," O'Neill said, "that's what we're saying."

Picard glanced dubiously at Riker and Martok, both of whom shared the same look. "How many people are in the Iconian Alliance?"

"Roughly two point three billion people," Jackson answered. "So the Q aren't anywhere near the deciding vote for them."

"What does that matter?" Picard asked. "There is no way you can convince me that the Q are not capable of ruling your Alliance, by force if by no other means."

"I'm not even trying to convince you of that, Commodore," Jackson said. "Of course we're able to, but the fact is, we don't. Again, you are judging all of us by your knowledge of one man, and if you think about it, you'll agree that it's not a fair judge. What's more, Janus himself is not the same man you are thinking of. He was instrumental in saving millions of Iconians in the war they have just fought."

Picard leaned back in his chair. "Now I'm curious, Chancellor Jackson, why you would separate yourself from the rest of the Iconians in that statement."

It was not Jackson who answered, however. It was Thor. "Commodore Picard, you must realize that for the non Q of Iconia, the war just happened, less than three days ago. Not so for the Q"

"Well, ten of the Q anyway," Carter amended. "The Q who were at the final battle with the Doci had to take the long way to this time period."

"I don't understand," Riker commented.

"The rest of our people were thrown forward three hundred thousand years while we had to wait it out," O'Neill explained.

"Why couldn't you just transport yourself to now?" Riker asked, curious now.

"The battle that ended with the vast majority of our population being thrown to the present, temporarily ended the Q ability to 'flash' to another time or place," Thor explained.

"Yes," Jackson agreed, "we've only re-acquired the ability in the last five years. If I understand your method of timekeeping, it would have been stardate 41153.6 when we were finally able to use our powers with anything close to our previous ability."

"41153.6? Number one, what was the date of our first meeting with Q?"

Riker consulted his computer terminal. "41153.7. He didn't waste any time, did he?"

"Like he was just waiting to judge humanity," Picard observed.

Carter and O'Neill glanced at each other, but refrained from saying anything. Jackson gently steered the conversation back to the possibility of building an alliance. "While Janus tried to judge humanity with the Farpoint incident, we would like to make a treaty with you, both to use this area of space, and for trade."

"Before we can get down to that type of agreement," Spock noted, "It would be advantageous to discuss what each side has to offer."

"Yes," Jackson said. "If we are to pursue this, I would like to introduce you to our ambassadorial team. They will be much better able to negotiate a treaty with you than I am."

"That would be appreciated," Spock said gravely.

Jackson nodded, then he sat motionless for a moment, staring out the window at the stars and ships. When he looked back at Spock, he said, "They will be here in a moment. One is Q. The other isn't, so she will bring him with her."

In a moment, two people flashed into being behind Kirk. She was a tall, blonde woman, and he was a rather small man with light, messy hair which looked like it contained moss.

Jackson stood. "This is Jade O'Neill," he said indicating the woman, "and this is Nefreyu, of the Nox." Both shook hands with the Starfleet officers until they got to Spock.

"Ambassador Spock," Jade said looking at the Vulcan. "It is an honor to meet you."

"The honor is mine, Ambassador O'Neill. Are you related to General O'Neill?"

She inclined her head. "He is my father, Mr. Ambassador."

Spock inclined his head in answer, then turned to Nefreyu. "Ambassador," he said.

Nefreyu regarded Spock curiously, then raised his hand in the traditional Vulcan salute. "Live long and prosper, Ambassador Spock."

Spock's eyebrow rose as he wondered how a non Q had such an intimate knowledge of Vulcans. He returned the salute, however without hesitation. "Peace and long life, Ambassador Nefreyu."

The fact that the Nox ambassador knew the Vulcan salute was not lost on Picard either. He was wondering about it when he noticed a small smile playing across the lips of Jade O'Neill. He was considering the significance of that, as the seating at the table was rearranged to allow Spock to sit across the table from the Iconian delegates.

Martok and Riker left the table to resume their posts, with Riker in command of D. McCoy returned to A and O'Neill and Carter flashed out of the room taking Thor with them.

Jackson gazed at Picard for a long moment once the others had left the room. "Commodore," he said, "I very much understand your reluctance to deal with Q, and to even consider that we might not all be like Janus. I would like to ease your mind, even if just a small amount. You may think that all Q were born with their powers." At Picard's nod, he continued. "That's not the case. Most Q were born exactly like you. Janus is one of the few that wasn't." Picard looked somewhat startled, and Jackson continued. "Because we were born, like you, human, we can alter our methods. We will, for the duration of this conference, not use our powers at all."

"Chancellor," Picard said, "you indicated that Nefreyu was not Q, however he greeted Ambassador Spock with the Vulcan salute. Have the Nox met vulcans before?"

"I have knowledge of Vulcans, Commodore," Nefreyu answered for himself. "We have met in the past."

Picard looked for any confirmation in Spock's eyes, but the Vulcan was being completely unreadable.

Spock was watching the Nox intently, but nothing more was said about having met Vulcans in the past. He finally nodded, accepting the statement. "Very well," he said. "I would also like to thank you for your pledge to not use your powers during the course of this conference. Such use could affect the outcome of the negotiations, and your pledge will assure that such a manipulation does not occur."

Picard privately wondered how the Federation people would know if the Q had used their powers, but he had acted as an ambassador many times himself, and recognized that Spock had just started the negotiations. He would do nothing to undermine the Vulcan's position.

First, the Iconians explained their political situation, even explaining that their Chancellor was the wizard, Merlin, a Q, and that Daniel Jackson was, in actuality, the Vice Chancellor. Picard was surprised that Merlin would be unable, or unwilling, to put in a personal appearance at the negotiations. He suspected that the Federation was simply beneath the wizard's concerns. He chastised himself for thinking this way after a moment, however. He realized that if what the Iconians were saying was true, then their leader, Merlin, would very likely be making sure that his people were safe. It was what Picard would have done had he been in the same position.

Nefreyu explained that the Nox had supplied a virus to the humans in their midst that countered the effects of biological warfare. This had increased human lifespans and strength to three times their normal values.

Ambassador Spock told the Iconians that an augment virus had been unleashed on Earth that had a similar effect. Years before, Admiral Marcus, in response to an offshoot of humanity that had five times the strength and intelligence of normal humans, had released an augment virus on Earth. It had infected all humans, giving them the strength of Vulcanoids and Klingons. The augments Admiral Marcus claimed to be protecting Earth from, still had greater strength and intelligence than the rest of the population, but by limiting the virus, Marcus had limited the superior ambition of the augmented human race. Unfortunately, he had died before anyone had figured out what he had done, or why he had done it.

Spock explained that more parallels were plainly visible between the Federation and the Iconians. The Federation was a melting pot of many races, but some had even blended their races together.

For example, after the destruction of the Klingon economy when their moon, Praxis, exploded, the race needed to relocate. They chose to build a colony on New Vulcan, and eventually, the Vulcans and Klingons began to intermarry. Very few pure Klingons or Vulcans existed now. The Federation had struggled with war very early in it's lifetime, even so far as individuals like Colonel Green trying to purify the population of Earth. Or Vulcan trying to accomplish the same thing. Now, however, such ideologies were almost unheard of.

By drawing parallels between the Federation and Iconians, Spock was able to create grounds for an alliance between the Federation and the Iconians.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Standard Disclaimer: We, the authors, do not own any of the franchises referenced in the following tale. We're just fans. Please Review so we know if you like this continuing saga

Sarah had sat through the millennia, keeping an eye out for her people. She hadn't been alone, however. The First, Commander, Merlin, Jack and Samantha O'Neill, Jack Carter, Eric Marten, Teal'c, Daniel Jackson, and Janus had spent the intervening three hundred thousand years on board the remains of the Dyson Sphere as she rebuilt it. But they weren't the only ones present. In her own memory banks, were three more people. Eli Wallace had allowed himself to be transferred to the sphere from the Altair shipyard's computers. In him were copies of Gin and Amanda Perry, both of which Eli released from his own memory, to live as individual entities in Sarah's computer core.

When the Q had been able to again travel through time and space with their wills, she had watched, amused as Teal'c went back in time. He had become one of the four most powerful Q in existence, along with the First, Merlin, and Jade O'Neill. Consequently, when he found that he could again bend time and space to his will, he left for a few moments. Right before his return, Sarah observed an aquarium flash into being in his quarters. Then, water and some fish flashed into the tank, followed by what appeared to be a finned eel.

Teal'c flashed into the room soon after and began talking to the eel. After a couple of hours, there was a knock on the door, and the Jaffa admitted Jack O'Neill into the room. Jack observed Teal'c, apparently feeding some goldfish in a large aquarium. Then he noticed a dark form, swimming in the depths of the tank.

"What's that?" O'Neill asked.

"It is my new pet, O'Neill."

"That's a Goa'uld, Teal'c!"

"Precisely, O'Neill. It is, in fact Apophis. I returned to the last moments of his life and brought him to the present with me. I used my powers to heal the symbiote's body right before it would have died. He will live for quite some time now, but he will never be in a host body again."

Jack thought about the poetic justice of the situation, and finally nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me, Teal'c," he said as he looked at the creature. It stuck it's head out of the aquarium, and Jack was afraid it would try to jump into him, but it seemed unable to. It contented itself with hissing at him, however. Jack knew that the "would-be" god recognized him, and the knowledge made him happy.

A moment later, there came another knock on the door and Teal'c admitted the First.

"What are you doing with the Goa'uld, Teal'c," he asked.

Teal'c drew himself up and said, "Apophis was never tried or convicted for his crimes against the Terrans or Jaffa."

"I understand, Teal'c, but we cannot arbitrarily punish one such as him without a trial."

"That is true, First," Teal'c said, inclining his head. "However, those of us who are here and would give him a trial would most certainly convict him, probably to death. This way, he does not die, nor does he lose the slim hope he has of one day being free again, however unlikely that may be. He is enduring no physical discomfort at all. I am making sure that he has everything a free-swimming Goa'uld will need. In fact, the only thing he is lacking, is a host."

The First thought about the situation, and found that he could not argue with the logic of Teal'c. Finally, he raised an eyebrow and nodded. "You are, of course, correct, Teal'c. I leave Apophis in your capable hands," and he left the room.

"Yes!" O'Neill exclaimed as the First left the room. Jack gazed at the Goa'uld for a long moment, then he addressed it. "It's very nice to see that you are getting what's owed to you. I can't think of anyone more appropriate to take care of you."

Sarah had watched the Q as they prepared for their friends and families to arrive from the past. She was looking forward to the moment as well, as Andy would be with them. She had missed him terribly over the last three hundred thousand years.

When the time came, she was somewhat surprised at by the fact that she had located them.

At the fleet…

Spock and the Iconian Ambassadors had been at the negotiating table for two days now. They had ironed out many parts of the treaty, and it had been one of the easiest negotiations that Spock had ever been part of. Kirk, Picard, and Jackson had agreed with the way in which the treaty was headed as well.

In fact, the treaty was almost completed when several ships dropped out of warp near the fleet.

"Bridge to Commodore Picard," came the voice of Battle Captain Martok.

Picard looked at Kirk with a surprised look on his face. "Picard here."

"Several unidentified ships have just appeared at the edge of the Iconian fleet."

"Those are our tug ships. It appears that the ships have arrived from Sarah to tow us to the sphere, since our hyperdrives are not working," Jackson informed them.

"Captain Martok, please stand by," Picard said. He then turned to Jackson. "Explain."

"The Artificial Intelligence aboard our Dyson Sphere is named SARAH. She was waiting with the Q for the rest of our fleet to arrive. We weren't sure where it would emerge from subspace, so we couldn't send out our tugs until it had. You have my apologies that I did not inform you of this until now."

Picard levelled his gaze at Jackson, and maintained eye contact while he tapped his com badge. "Picard to Captain Martok. Apparently the Iconians were expecting these ships."

"You don't trust me at all, do you Commodore?" Jackson observed.

"Chancellor Jackson, if you know what we've been through with Q, or Janus as you call him, then you should understand why I find it difficult to trust anyone who is Q."

Jackson nodded. "I can certainly understand that."

"I agree," Picard continued, "that to judge you all based on one, Janus in particular, is unfair. You have to understand that my distrust of the continuum runs very deep because of him, but I'm willing to judge you on your own terms rather than on his."

"Thank you, Commodore, I know we all will appreciate that."

"Bridge to Commodore Picard," Martok's voice came again.

"Perhaps it would be best to recess for awhile," said Nefreyu as Picard responded to the Battle Captain.

"I would say that is an accurate assessment, Ambassador," Spock replied.

Picard stood when he saw that the negotiations were suspended. "If you'll excuse me," he said as he started to the door.

"Would you mind if I accompanied you, Commodore?" Jackson asked.

"Not at all, Chancellor," Picard answered.

The two stepped onto the bridge and Picard ordered, "Play the message on speaker."

"Welcome, Iconians. I have been waiting a long time for you to arrive," a feminine voice came out of the bridge speakers. It was just a bit too enthusiastic to be real. "I have repaired the damage to the sphere, and have built and dispatched these tugs to assist you, knowing that your hyperdrives will not function properly," the voice continued. "Please allow them to tow you to the sphere. The voyage should take just slightly more than one Terran day."

Picard turned to Jackson. "Will we be able to accompany you?"

"Actually, yes," Jackson answered. "I don't think there will be enough tugs to go around. It will probably take more than just one trip."

"In that case, we can probably tow a couple of your ships as well."

"That would be appreciated, Commodore."

Picard regarded Jackson inquiringly for a few moments. "If I may ask, why don't you simply snap your fingers and take your fleet there?"

"And ruin Sarah's opportunity to rescue us?" Jackson chuckled. "Commodore, she'd never forgive us for that. Also, our people are not all Q, as we've said. They'll need to know that hyperdrive doesn't work now, and that warp drive, while effective, is much slower."

Riker was listening and asked, "With all your power, you don't have something faster than warp drive?"

"Of course we do. I can snap my fingers and be on the other side of the universe, Riker, but as I said, most of our people aren't Q. We also have our gate travel, but that works only for individuals and very small ships. We can't take our larger vessels through one of them. We have built a couple of supergates, but there's only one of those per galaxy." He thought a moment, then said, "we might have to up that a bit, even with slipstream or transwarp drive."

Picard turned to Kirk, who had joined them on the bridge. "Admiral," he said, "don't you think it would be in the interests of our treaty to help tow ships to the Iconian home?"

"Sure," Kirk answered, "I think that would be a great idea."

"The ship you are facing is the O'Neill, Commodore," Jade offered. "It is commanded by Supreme Commander Thor."

"Thank you," Picard said, wondering about the relationship between the Ambassador's name and this huge vessel. "Hail the O'Neill."

Thor's image appeared on the screen. "Supreme Commander Thor, may I offer the assistance of Enterprise-D in towing you to the sphere?"

"I appreciate the offer, Commodore, however there are many ships which will have to remain here until the tugs can return, as we do not have enough tugs to take them in one trip. These ships are unarmed, and this is unknown space to us. I do not feel comfortable leaving them without guard."

Kirk stepped forward. "Jean Luc, I think it would be beneficial for Enterprise-D to be here as well. The Iconian ships aren't known among the people of this quadrant, but our ships are. Our presence here should lend some validity to them."

"Agreed. If you have no objections, Supreme Commander, I will remain on station as well."

"No objections at all, Commodore. I will enjoy the company."

A few hours later…

Thor and Picard stood on the bridge of the O'Neill and watched the tugs with their charges stretch into subspace. They stood for some moments, looking at the stars in the direction the tugs had gone.

A had gone as an escort as well, and had been pulling a ha'tak, the pyramid ship dwarfing the Federation flagship. The Enterprise-A had shown her strength, however, as she accelerated into warp speed as smooth as if she had not been towing anything behind her. A's helm officer was Demora Sulu, and she had inherited her father's starship driving abilities.

Finally, Thor turned to his guest. "I am sorry, Picard. I forget my manners. Would you like a tour of the O'Neill?"

"I would be honored, Sir," Picard said. Thor stood at least three inches taller than him, and the Commodore was struck at how much the Asgard looked like his great-great grandfather, George Kirk.

Thor inclined his head, "This way then." He turned with Picard at his side, and they left the bridge.

After they had toured the engine room, they entered Thor's quarters for a drink. They were comfortable rooms, and had many momentos from the Asgard's long life. There was a glass case on one side of the room, and in it were models of several vessels. Picard realized that they must represent the ships commanded by this imposing figure. What struck Picard most, however, was hanging on the wall. He walked up to it, his mouth hanging open. It was a weapon, a sword, with three handgrips along the back, and a wickedly curved, razor sharp blade at each end. Protruding at an angle, in between the handgrips and either curved blade, was a smaller, straight blade, just as sharp as the larger ones.

The weapon was obviously ancient, and the leather of the handgrips, while well cared for, was timeworn. The metal, however, gleamed as though it had been polished that morning. The entire length of the sword was sharpened to a fine edge, and Picard could well imagine the finesse with which this weapon would be used. In fact, he had seen it many times. Near the center handgrip was a bit of discoloration, and a small amount of pitting. It had been polished out as much as possible, but nothing could entirely remove it.

"That sword was handed down to me through millennia of ancestors," Thor said from behind them.

"Your ancestors?" Picard exclaimed, surprised.

"We don't know very much about them," Thor explained. "Just that they were a race of warriors."

"I see," Picard said. "Supreme Commander, would you mind if I brought someone over here to see this? He would be extremely interested in this weapon. "

"Not at all," Thor responded.

Picard tapped his comm badge. "Picard to Enterprise-D."

A few minutes later, Commander Worf, Martok's Battle XO was escorted into the room by Jack O'Neill.

"Commander Worf, General O'Neill," Picard said. "Mr. Worf, I wonder if you will look at…" His voice trailed off. Worf was staring transfixed at the sword on the wall.

"Where did you get this?" he asked Thor, stepping toward the wall, transfixed.

"It is a may' 'etlh, handed down from my ancestors. It belonged to one of them. I am not sure of the exact generation." He looked curiously at Worf. "Why?"

Worf didn't respond immediately. He reached a tentative hand toward the sword. ""May' 'etlh. Battle Sword. Fitting. May I?" he asked the Asgard.

Thor nodded, and Worf respectfully lifted the ancient weapon off the wall. He hefted it, and checked it's balance. Then, he stepped to the middle of the room. Picard backed up as the Klingon held the sword expertly. He motioned O'Neill and Thor back as well as Worf put the weapon through it's motions. "We call it a Bat'leth," Worf said. "I am curious what you know about it."

"Very little, I'm afraid. We had a few may' 'etlh left, but in the war with the replicators, the rest were lost. This is the only remaining one left to my knowledge."

"Replicators?" Worf asked, automatically thinking of the food dispensers on Enterprise-D.

"Tiny bug things," O'Neill supplied. "They eat metal and turn it into… more tiny bug things."

Picard smiled at that. "They sound like nanites," he said. "In the Federation, the word replicator, refers to machines used to repattern matter into a more useable form. For example, we do not store perishable food items on board Enterprise. We use matter resequencers to make whatever food stuff we need on the ship, as long as the pattern is stored in the computer, a person can have whatever they desire to eat."

Thor inclined his head slightly. "We have a similar device which we call a matter resequencer."

"A practical name," Worf commented, still gazing at the ancient Bat'leth.

Worf accompanied Picard on the rest of the tour, approving of the design of the O'Neill. The ship was designed to fight. Thor explained that the first O'Neill, had been lost to the replicators in battle. This was, in effect, the O'Neill-A, and there were many improvements upon the original design that this ship reflected.

Thor's previous vessel, the Daniel Jackson, was commanded by his protege, Eli Wallace, and had accompanied the rest of the fleet to the sphere.

"Eli Wallace sounds like a human name," Picard observed.

"Yes," Thor said. "Eli Wallace is a great friend of mine. While I am a warrior, there is also a side of me that is a scientist." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "General O'Neill, and the rest of his team are great friends. In many ways, they are my heroes. I have fought beside them, and they have saved my life many times over."

"You've saved our butts more times than I can count too, Buddy," O'Neill observed.

Thor nodded and smiled. "I suppose that is true, O'Neill," he allowed. "What I was going to say, however, is that while Samantha O'Neill is a gifted scientist, and military strategist, Dr. Wallace is strictly a scientist. In some ways, the scientific side of me finds that to be a refreshing change sometimes." He paused for a moment. "I truly enjoy the time I spend with Dr. Wallace for that reason."

"Daniel is strictly a scientist," O'Neill observed.

"While that is true," Thor said, "Daniel does understand the necessity for weapons, and will not hesitate to use them if need be. Eli will almost never resort to weapons, and I find that fascinating." He sighed, then said. "Sometimes I wish I could understand that way of thinking better."

"I think we all do, Supreme Commander," Picard said. The expression on Worf's face, clearly showed that he did not understand Thor's wish, but he refrained from saying it.

The expression wasn't missed by Thor, however. "As you can see by my, how did you say, Bat'leth, Commander Worf, I am a warrior at heart. I'm not ready to beat my swords into plowshares just yet."

"Or your spears into pruninghooks?" Worf asked.

"Commander Worf," Picard said, clearly surprised. "I had no idea you were up on Jewish history."

"I was raised by Russian parents, Commodore."

"I see. The Russian Orthodox Church has roots in Judaism. You would have studied Russian history as a child," Picard said.

"I did," Worf confirmed. He turned to Thor, "You said that your ancestors were warriors. It is believed among my people that the first Bat'leth was made by Kahless. I have always believed that, but is it possible that we have a common ancestor that both our races are from?"

Thor smiled at the Klingon. "I don't know, Worf, but I'd like to learn more about your race. If we don't have a common ancestor, and if you'd seen me thirty years ago, you wouldn't think we did, I think we have much in common in ideologies."

"I too, would like to learn more of your people."

Thor and Jack and Samantha O'Neill were joined by Jack Carter and his wife, Allison, as well as Daniel Jackson and his wife, Vala in beaming to Enterprise-D with Picard and Worf and they received a tour, then joined Picard and his senior staff for dinner.

Over dinner Picard explained his love of archeology, and how he had spent many happy hours studying everything he could find on the Iconian Empire.

"Empire?" Jackson asked. "What empire, Commodore? We never had an empire at all. The Iconians were and are an alliance between our member races."

"I have no doubt, " Picard said, "that the history books will need some rewriting by the end of this day, Chancellor Jackson. I can only tell you that I am thrilled to be present for such an occasion."

At the sphere...

Kirk watched as the A exited subspace and drew to a relative stop to a cloud of gas and debris. He turned to Spock who bent over his work station. "Scanning, " the Vulcan said. "Indications are that this nebula extends for approximately twenty-five AUs. It is comprised of several gases, as well as a large number of asteroids ranging from dust size to several hundred meters in diameter." He turned to Kirk. "There is very little of interest here."

"Thank you Spock, he said as they followed the Iconian fleet into the cloud. They were able to move forward at very high sunlight speed as asteroids the size of apartment buildings were moved out of their way by bluish energy beams directed from somewhere ahead.

"Some kind of tractor and repulser beams," Spock supplied unnecessarily.

Kirk just watched, spellbound as the largest structure he had ever seen slowly became visible through the dust and debris. As they drew closer, an apature opened and the Iconian fleet started filing through. At the same time, a signal was received by Uhura, A's chief communications officer. "Incoming message, Sir," she said.

Kirk just nodded, and she put it on speaker. "Welcome, Enterprise. Admiral Kirk, I am Sarah. I thank you for bringing my people here, and invite you to enter. There is nothing to fear, as I will not harm you, and you will be free to leave whenever you desire."

"Tie me in, Uhura," Kirk ordered. "Thank you, Sarah. We would be pleased to enter. May we activate our scanners as we do?"

"Certainly," came the reply. "If Merlin has no objections, I would be pleased to conduct you on a tour of some of my facilities as well. On your arrival inside my shell, please transport yourself, Ambassador Spock and Dr. McCoy to the coordinates I will send to your transporter room. You are most welcome to scan those coordinates thoroughly before transporting."

Kirk thanked her then turned to Spock when Uhura signified that the connection was closed. "Analysis, Spock?"

One of Spock's eyebrows had been lifted for most of the conversation, and showed no sign of lowering as he spoke. "A most sophisticated artificial intelligence. I would be most interested in studying her computer systems. While the Federation's computer technology is quite advanced, Sarah seems able to anticipate what your objections would be, and countered them before you even voiced them."

"Or," came McCoy's voice from the door, "someone is telling her what to say, because they anticipate our objections."

"That is a distinct possibility," Spock agreed.

"You aren't actually thinking of going over there, are you?" McCoy asked.

"Bones," Kirk said, reasonably, "they've had us under their guns for quite a while now, and they haven't taken any potshots. I think it's reasonable to assume that if Thor had wanted to blow us up, he could have. Why would they wait until we're here?"

McCoy looked at the viewscreen and the surface of Sarah that filled it. "Intimidation."

Uhura had stepped away from her console, and was nervously fingering her earpiece in her hands. "They would know that we're transferring all that we see to Starfleet."

Spock looked at her, his features softening. "Nyota," he said, "They are Q. Nothing more is required to intimidate me."

"Regardless of anything else," Demora Sulu said from the helm, "We're entering the sphere now."

The four snapped their attention back to the screen as they flew through the opening, still towing the Ha'tak. The aperture opened into a miles long tunnel. Spock turned to his science console and informed them all that the walls were made of neutronium. The ship shot through the other end of the tunnel and Demora swung it into orbit of the star at the center of the sphere.

Bra'tac, the commander of the Ha'tak they were towing contacted, them and thanked them. "You may release us at any time, Kirk."

Kirk turned to Scotty, who had just walked onto the bridge. "Mr. Scott, would you be so kind as to release Master Bra'tac's Ha'tak?"

"Aye, Sir," the engineer replied. Demora took the initiative to split the screen so it showed Bra'tac on one side and a reverse view of the Ha'tak. The blue energy beam disengaged, and the Ha'tak started to drift on it's own.

The man on the other side of the screen smiled. "Thank you again, Kirk. I look forward to meeting you in person."

He switched off, and Uhura reported, "The transporter room reports that they have the coordinates from Sarah."

Scotty turned sharply to look at Kirk. "I dinna like it, Admiral. You're not just the commander of this ship, but Commander, Starfleet. Ye shouldna be risking yourself this way."

"That's what I think, Scotty, but our commander doesn't seem to be able to quit risking his life."

Kirk quickly covered his mouth with his hand to keep from showing the smile there, as Spock interjected, "Gentlemen, I do not need to point out that we could have been destroyed at any time during the last day. On the trip here, we were incredibly outnumbered by ships as powerfully armed as our own. There is no need to invite the Admiral aboard just to kill him."

"Or us!" McCoy groused. He then turned to the doors. "Let's go before I change my mind."

Kirk was immediately on his feet. "Coming, Spock?"

The Vulcan followed somewhat more sedately.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: We do not own any of the franchises mentioned in this story but do enjoy writing about them. Please review!

They arrived in an area of the sphere that was lush farmland, not unlike the area on Earth in which Kirk had grown up. All around were corn fields, and in the distance, Kirk saw what could only be a barn, complete with red paint. The only odd thing was the horizon. Instead of dropping off after a few miles, it went on and on until it eventually came to some mountains in the distance, but he could see beyond them, and there appeared to be an endless sea on the other side. It was disorienting.

Finally, Kirk focused on the people facing them. Even though they were about twenty feet away. He recognized them, and that was also disturbing.

"Jean Luc," he said. It was definitely Jean Luc Picard, standing beside his auburn haired doctor, Beverly Crusher, and another man that, while Kirk had never met him, he recognized him immediately from records of the Enterprise-D as Q.

"That is a name I haven't gone by in a long time," his great-grandson said. "I actually go more by Merlin, now."

Kirk nodded, but McCoy seemed confused. Spock was paying close attention to what was being said.

"I understand, Merlin," Kirk said, trying the name out for himself. "It just doesn't seem to fit you."

"Oh, you get used to it," Q said.

Kirk's expression tried to turn sour, and he struggled to keep it neutral. "You are Janus, correct?"

"Guilty as charged," Q confirmed. "However, I must point out that I'm a bit older than when I used to pester Merlin here."

Finally, it was too much for McCoy. "What is going on here? How are Picard and Crusher on this sphere?"

"Sarah?" Merlin requested. "Would you please transport us to the Camelot conference room?"

In response, all six people dematerialized from the corn field. They rematerialized in a conference room, of similar design to the one on board Enterprise-D.

"Please be seated," Merlin invited. When they had all taken chairs, he began. "You, of course recognize that I am Jean Luc Picard, or rather, long ago, I was Jean Luc Picard, just as my wife, Che Ryl, was Beverly Crusher. We have invited you three here today, because you will understand the necessity of keeping our existence on the sphere a secret."

He looked at Janus, who nodded solemnly. When he looked back at Kirk, his expression was one of determination. "Admiral, you of all people know that what I'm saying is the truth. You feel it."

"Yes," Kirk said flashing a look at McCoy which said not to challenge him.

McCoy ignored the look, as Kirk knew he would. "Shall we call Valhalla and book a room?" he asked.

"Actually," Janus said, "The Valhalla is full, and still out with Picard and Thor."

Che Ryl ried to stifle a laugh. "The Valhalla is a ship carrying refugees," she explained. McCoy just glared.

"Merlin," Spock said, "When you say 'long ago you were Jean Luc Picard,' how long ago do you mean?"

The wizard smiled, and answered. "Before the three hundred millennia I just lived through, waiting for our people to arrive, I was well over fifty million years old."

"So you have been living in the past. How much have you changed what was supposed to occur?"

"Ambassador Spock, I give you my word that nothing that was supposed to happen has changed. The Q who became Alterans and later Iconians, have been very careful in this regard."

Che Ryl explained further, "Those of us who were in Starfleet have followed the Prime Directive all these years, Spock. And the First has established a temporal prime directive. We change nothing. We allow time to continue the way it was supposed to, which is hard to do sometimes, but we do what we must."

"The First?" Kirk asked, already knowing the answer, but knowing that his friends did not.

"The First Q. In time, you will meet him," Che Ryl said.

Spock turned his attention to his friend and commander. "You know more than you are saying about this. You were not surprised to see Merlin."

"No, Spock. I wasn't."

"You wanna explain that, Jim?" McCoy asked.

"Not really," Kirk said. At the dangerous look in McCoy's eyes, he relented. "I'm a Q also, Bones."

McCoy turned to Janus with a grin on his face. "Are you sure the Valhalla is full?" Turning back to Kirk, McCoy saw the seriousness of what his friend was saying. "You're not kidding?"

Kirk simply shook his head.

"How unfair is that when you're running to be the commander of Starfleet? Or when Sulu was running for Federation President?" McCoy was well on the way to a tirade now. "Or when we're taking A out all the time? You give yourself an unfair advantage above and beyond what other commanders would have!"

Kirk held up his hand until McCoy stopped, glaring at him. "As far as when I became commander of Starfleet, I wasn't a Q then, and I didn't help Sulu when he became president. He made it on his own merits, Bones. But about taking out A, is it really unfair of me to use whatever abilities I have at my disposal to keep my people alive? I have never influenced the mind of anyone with my powers - Ok. once when we were playing poker with that Klingon renegade, but that's different."

"Of course it's not unfair to keep your men alive!" McCoy yelled at him. "But…" He stopped, unsure where to go with his arguments.

"Bones," Kirk said, "I'm still Jim. Nothing has changed."

"What? Everything has changed! You're a Q for crying out loud!"

"I mean nothing has changed about me being James T. Kirk! Besides Bones, I've been a Q for over seventy-five years! What's the problem?"

McCoy didn't know what to say, so he said nothing, but Kirk could see in his face that this was far from over. When they got back to the ship, he would hear more about it.

"So," Kirk asked Merlin, "When did you become Q?"

"At the same time you did, Admiral. When we were in the Nexus, we became Q. The Nexus, itself, is the continuum, but you know that."

"Yes, I do. And that's not what I meant. When will my great-grandson become a Q?"

"You'll know," Che Ryl said. "That's what you are wondering, isn't it? How will you know?"

"Yes," Kirk said, smiling at her.

"The problem is, it happened to both of us in a different reality than the one we're in now," Merlin said.

"Exactly," Kirk agreed. "So I can't really just wait till the energy ribbon and the Soran Incident."

"But you can," Che Ryl disagreed. "Even though those events don't happen in this timeline, you will still know when they occur in the other one."

Kirk cocked his head a bit. "I stand corrected," he said to her, nodding his head graciously. He then leaned in close and said sotto voce; "Any chance I could knock some sense into the Commodore's head and get you two together sooner?"

Che Ryl laughed lightly. "I only wish you could, Admiral," she said, "but I guess it has to play out for her as it did for me. Obviously, since I was her." She laughed again and then continued, pointing at both herself and her husband; "We've had a bit longer together than we had apart, anyway."

"How long have you been married now?" McCoy asked.

"Fifty million, three hundred sixty two thousand, two hundred ninety eight years," Merlin answered immediately. Spock's eyebrow climbed involuntarily to his forehead, and Merlin explained. "I've never had much respect for men who can't remember their anniversary."

"Obviously, that is not a problem you have, Sir," he said thoughtfully.

"So," Kirk said, turning to Q. "How long until my great-grandchildren have you and your sister?"

"Now wait just a damn minute," McCoy said sputtering. You mean to tell me that Q is your great-great-grandson? That explains his personality completely!"

"Indeed it does," Spock said, his eyebrow now completely lost under his hair.

One week later, somewhere in the sphere...

Kevin Blake looked at the seemingly innocuous crystal he held in his hand. He had perused the maps of the sphere in the Los Angeles city ship and had found this canyon. It was at least a thousand miles from any city which, considering the scale of the sphere, meant it was relatively close to the nearest one. The diameter of the sphere was two thirds the orbit of Earth, or one and a third AUs, which left room for enormous oceans, mountain ranges that dwarfed the Himalayas, and continents with deserts the size of Asia, Africa, and Europe combined. Kevin was a loner by choice. Somehow, he no longer had the autism which had made him a loner by nature, but he still liked solitude at times.

The particular canyon he was overlooking was actually more of a gently sloping shelf, approximately thirteen hundred kilometers across, and ringed on three sides by three kilometer high cliffs. At the very back of the canyon was a waterfall which produced a river that wound it's way this way and that through the shelf until it came to the other end, where a small mountain range blocked its continued passage. At the base of these mountains, the river backed up into a huge lake, nearly the size of lake Eerie, and twelve hundred feet deep. The peaks of several mountains formed islands near the bottom edge of the lake, and the lake turned into rivers which cataracted through valleys and canyons on the other side of the mountains. Once they reached the foot, they wound through another hundred kilometers of plateau to a cliff which dropped into an ocean covering an area fifteen times the surface area of earth.

Where Kevin stood, he was on the top of a cliff, surrounded by rainforest, and looking at the lake far below. To his left and down, were the mountains which blocked the progress of the river, and to his right, the lake stretched for three hundred fifty kilometers, up the shelf and beyond it was a huge forest of giant Sequoia.

The shelf had been placed where it would benefit from one of the satellites orbiting the sun, and every three cycles of the star to it's moonlight stage, the satellite would pass in between it and the shelf, causing an eclipse over the shelf, increasing the amount of mist raised from the river, and helping the huge redwoods to thrive.

Kevin pushed the crystal he was holding into the ground, and stood back. The crystal coming in contact with micro-wiring sent a signal to Sarah. Kevin had given plans for the home he desired to Sarah, and when she received the coded signal from his crystal, she went to work. First, the cliff he was standing on dematerialized and became a marble balcony complete with railings. A wall materialized a few feet from the edge of the balcony, with french doors into what quickly formed into a room with marble floors and ornately carved woodwork. Then, the newly created building lowered gently into the ground, to about halfway down the cliff. What was left on the top was a gazebo with staircase in the middle, leading down to an elevator shaft which descended to the to the home that had just been built.

He walked through the home and checked to see that everything had been done right, then he stepped into the elevator and ascended to the landing below the gazebo. He climbed the stairs to the gazebo and looked around. From here, he could see the entire shelf, covered by giant sequoia. The trees and rainforest were designed to produce oxygen for this part of the sphere.

Sitting in the gazebo, was Claudia, his wife of fifteen years, waiting for him to arrive. "How's it look?" she asked.

"Exactly like we planned," he answered, smiling. She stood, and they joined hands and descended into their new home.

On Enterprise-D…

Jack Carter and his sisters, Samantha O'Neill and Lexi Glennallen walked into Ten Forward. Behind the bar, Guinan stood, in one of her trademark outfits. She saw the three siblings come in, smiled broadly at them, and motioned to a table beside the windows. She finished serving Riker, then she walked to the table. "Can I get you anything?" she asked the three.

"Actually," Sam said, "we just wanted to meet you."

"Well, I'm flattered," Guinan said.

"Uh," Jack said, trying to break her facade, "we know who you are, and we also know that at this time of your life, you know us."

"Really?" Guinan answered. "Now I'm intrigued. What do you know about me?"

"We know that you were born Meribor, Merlin's daughter," Lexi said in a hushed voice. "We know that later, you were fobbed and became Debra Carter, then Janet Fraiser."

"Well, there, you're wrong. You see, I've never been Janet Fraiser. I'm assuming that I'll be her later in my life, because I have been Debra Carter, and I was born Merlin's Daughter."

"Wait a minute," Sam said, startled. "You haven't been Janet?"

"Not that I remember," Guinan confirmed, "and my memory is pretty good. I do know that you three are my kids. It's good to see you've turned out alright." She smiled broadly at them again. "Where's Mark?" she asked after a pause.

"He didn't make it out of San Diego when it was destroyed," Sam said quietly.

Guinan nodded sagely. "I see. Well, I suppose he'll turn up eventually."

"What do you mean?" Lexi asked.

"He's a Q also. You don't think what happened in San Diego is going to take him out of the picture permanently, do you?"

"Yeah," Lexi said brightly, "I didn't think about that."

On the Inner Surface of the Sphere...

On a sandy beach, adjacent to one of the many oceans inside the sphere, several ships had been set down. These ships carried the sleepers. They were the people who had not been transported to the other side of the universe, but were still in stasis. Their stasis was accomplished by many different methods. They even used the chair method from P7J-989. This was not the ideal method, but it allowed for, if not real comfort, virtual comfort for the occupants of the chair.

Lantean stasis units had also been used. It was the same type of stasis that had been used to keep Elizabeth Weir alive for ten thousand years in Atlantis, while the city waited for the Terran Team to arrive. The same type of stasis chamber had been used to keep Sheppard alive while waiting for a solar flare that would return him to his correct time.

Several Asgard chambers had been, as the Federation people would say, replicated, to help keep people alive. By far, the most efficient means of keeping people in stasis was the Wraith culling beams. Todd had culled a fair percentage of the people in the Pegasus galaxy before he left for Avalon, and the buffers for several of the beams had been transferred for safekeeping to Mr. Woolsey in Atlantis.

Unfortunately, somehow in the time jump, the Wraith ships had disappeared along with some Jaffa and stasis ships, and no culling beams now existed to reverse the process. Now, Rodney McKay was busy working with the twins, the Alteran Scotty and Geordie, to try to build a culling emitter to reverse the buffers. He was having little luck.

He was very frustrated, and decided to take a breather for a few minutes. He left the quonset hut he was using as a lab, and started walking along the shoreline. The efforts to reverse the culling beam were being attempted at the shore where the rest of the stasis revivals were being conducted. It wasn't that they needed to be done there, but Rodney felt that he might be needed with the rest of the revivals, so it would be better to be near them.

As he was walking, he saw someone coming from the other direction. The figure looked very familiar, and as he got closer, he recognized Merlin.

"Hello, Sir!" he called. Merlin looked startled, and as Rodney got closer, he realized that this was not Merlin, but the Federation man that the wizard had once been. "I'm sorry," McKay said to Commodore Picard, "I mistook you for someone else."

"Yes," the Federation man said, "That's been happening quite a lot, lately."

"So what do you think of SARAH?" Rodney asked, indicating the sphere surrounding them, and hopefully, changing the subject.

Picard looked around him at the landscape. "Very impressive. Even more so from above," he said, indicating his ship above. It was quite a ways up, but could be discerned by the glint of sunlight off of the hull. "What interests me more, however, is why people continue to mistake me for Merlin. Would you mind explaining?"

"Yes, Commodore. I would very much mind explaining." Picard's eyes widened at the impertinence of McKay's statement, but the scientist continued. "However, Sir, I will say that if you will be patient, it will be explained eventually."

"How long is eventually in this case?"

"I'm not going to deceive you, Commodore. It could very well be awhile, but when the time comes, you'll understand why I couldn't explain right now."

Picard glared at him.

"I can't explain beyond that, Sir. How many times have you asked people to just trust you?"

Picard's features softened a bit, and became rueful. "More times than I can remember. When you're in command, you have to ask people to trust you. But I've never liked it when people have expected me to just trust them. I'm the type of person who likes to be in the know."

"There, you see?" McKay said, spreading his arms.

Picard sighed and sat down on a boulder. "Alright, Dr. McKay. I'll stop asking, but when the time comes, you'd better be ready to explain."

The Iconian sat down on another boulder facing the Federation man. "It's a deal, Commodore. I'll be happy to explain when the time is right." He thought for a few moments, then speculated, "Although, I'm not sure you'll need my explanation by that time."

Picard gave him a strange look, then asked "Have you made any progress in reversing the, what did you call it, 'Wraith Culling Beam?"

McKay shook his head, "No. It bugs me too, because I know there's just some little thing I'm not seeing."

Picard thought for a moment. "Would my science officer be of assistance?" At the expression on McKay's face, Picard scolded. "Now this is interesting. You ask me to trust you and wait, but you are unwilling to accept help? It seems to me that what is good for the goose should be good for the gander."

The look McKay gave was truly priceless as he realized he had once again placed himself in an unenviable position. He would have scorned the idea that he could use help coming from anyone else, but he knew this man well. At least he knew a later version of this man well, and genuinely considered him to be friend. "Ok, Sir. You're right. I can't expect you to sit back and trust me and not be willing to swallow my pride and accept help."

Picard was tempted to say it wasn't pride that made him balk at the suggestion that he trust someone else's judgement, when we realized McKay was exactly right. He slowly reached up, and tapped his combadge, and asked Dax to beam to his location.

Rodney wasn't sure about this science officer he was about to meet, but he was prepared for anything. Or so he thought. What happened when the officer materialized, surprised him more than he thought possible. Immediately, a stasis field appeared, and the old man standing before him was motionless. As well, a siren started blaring from somewhere and Sarah's voice called out from thin air, "Warning! The person who just transported to the surface carries a Goa'uld symbiote!"

Picard was speechless as his officer was next dematerialized. He slowly turned to McKay, who suspected that there was fire in the depth of the Commodore's eyes as he very slowly asked. "What is a Goa'uld symbiote?"

"A Goa'uld was a creature, similar in appearance to a snake. They would burrow into the body of a host, usually a human or an Unas. An Unas was a large, reptilian biped that…" He watched Picard's neck muscles flex as he strove for control and patience. "You really don't care about the Unas. Well… Goa'ulds would take over the host body. They were capable of sharing the body equally with the host, but the Goa'uld didn't. They wanted control, and they took it. They were extremely arrogant, and we found over time, that most of the ancient gods in human history had been Goa'uld. They demanded worship, but the humans that they demanded it from were slaves. If they didn't worship their gods, the Goa'uld would simply kill them."

As McKay explained, Picard relaxed. When Rodney had finished his explanation, the federation man nodded, as if that explained much, which only served to confuse McKay, until Picard took his turn at explaining. "I see. Curzon Dax is a joined species. He is a trill. The symbiote, Dax, is very similar to what you are explaining, except the blending of a trill seems to be somewhat different. Perhaps Sarah mistook Dax for a Goa'uld."

"I am very sorry, Commodore Picard. Perhaps I overreacted in my transporting your science officer away," Sarah's voice said.

Picard spun around as he heard a very familiar voice from behind him. "I know about the Trill, Sarah. Commodore Picard is correct in that Dax is no threat. On my authority, please bring him back." The man standing there had a considerably greater amount of grey in his hair, but he was unmistakably Geordie LaForge. "Hello, Commodore. Great to see you."


	5. Chapter 5

Picard stood staring at his chief engineer who wasn't. LaForge glanced behind him, and saw the group of people gathering. "Shall we take a walk gentlemen?"

Picard realized they were about to be overrun by the curious so agreed. LaForge started off in the way Picard had come, and McKay glanced over his shoulder and decided to accompany the two.

"How are you here, Geordie?" Picard asked when the crowd realized they weren't welcome and hung back.

LaForge stopped and said in a low voice. "I can't really explain because of the temporal prime directive, Sir."

"Temporal prime directive," Picard breathed. "You're from the future?"

"Yes and no, Sir. We came from the past, but I'm a future version of Geordie LaForge, which makes the temporal prime directive apply." He glanced back at the crowd and called out, "Sarah, please transport us to the Atlantis conference room."

The three faded out, and rematerialized in a spacious conference room. They sat down at the table and LaForge continued. "I should also point out, Sir, that I'm not your Geordie, and never was. I'm from a timeline where things were much different. It is the timeline that Spock Prime is from." As he was speaking, an older, heavier version of Montgomery Scott walked into the room.

"Scotty! I should have realized that if one of you was here, the other was sure to follow," Picard exclaimed.

"Aye," the older engineer said, "we do seem to always end up being good friends no matter what reality we come from. Don't we, Lad?" he said.

"That we do," Geordie said in a Scottish accent.

"When you say you're not my Geordie, does that mean I shouldn't trust you?" Picard asked mildly.

"Not at all, Sir. I served under Jean Luc Picard just like your Geordie did, and I will never break that trust in any of you," LaForge said smiling.

"That is good to know. Now where is my science officer?"

Sarah spoke before LaForge could. "I have been waiting for you to decide where you were going to stay before I rematerialized him."

With that, Curzon Dax appeared in the room. It took a few moments for Geordie and Scotty to explain to him about the Goa'uld, but once he understood, he expressed a desire to study one of the symbionts.

They spoke for several more minutes, but Picard was itching to get out and explore the famed city. When he voiced his desire, Rodney excitedly offered to show him around and the twins decided to accompany them.

They talked animatedly until they reached the control room where Picard was introduced to Richard Woolsey who shook his hand vigorously as he gushed, "It is, indeed, a pleasure to meet you, Sir, Mr. Worf has told me much about you!"

"You know Mr. Worf?" Picard asked, surprised.

"Yes. He and your Captain Martok have been spending a fair amount of time with the Asgard and our own Ronan and Teyla. I understand Worf has a contest scheduled with Teal'c for," he consulted his watch and his eyebrows raised. "now, actually. If you'll follow me, I'll show you."

They made their way to an arena where several people from both the Federation ships and Atlantis were filling the stands. Picard recognized Thor, the O'Neills, and the Jacksons sitting in the first stand. Thor caught Picard's eye and gestured to some empty spots beside him. The small group made their way to the open spots, and sat down just as the battle began.

Curzon's face split in a wide grin as he recognized the Bat'leth that Worf weilded. Teal'c was using a staff weapon. The two circled each other slowly.

Picard shifted uncomfortably in his seat, as he had seen several such fights where the Federation combatant didn't realize that the fight was to the death. Even on several Federation worlds, such a fight was not always ceremonial. He voiced his concern to Thor who shook his head. "See the red light on Teal'c's staff weapon? It's an Intar. It will only stun."

The crowd cheered as Worf swung his Bat'leth in a deadly arc, which Teal'c barely parried.

"Worf's Bat'leth is quite real, however," Picard stated.

"Yes, but Teal'c is Q. Worf can't hurt him any more than Teal'c allows."

"Teal'c is Q?" Picard asked, stunned. "Then what's the point of the fight? Worf can't win!"

Thor chuckled. "You are correct, Picard. There wouldn't be a point if Teal'c wasn't an honorable man. But he is, and is using only his physical strength, not his powers as Q."

The crowd cheered again as Teal'c swung with his staff weapon, only to have it parried by Worf, who in turn, used the force of the blow to swing his sword up toward Teal'c's face. Teal'c ducked and spun around with his own momentum, bringing the staff out at the last second to trip the Klingon. Worf allowed the blow to land, and fell, but somehow in a blur of Klingon armor and mail, he somersaulted in midair, landing on his feet with his sword sticking through the Jaffa's right arm. Teal'c, in turn, pulled his arm off the sword, and backed away long enough to assess the damage. Worf started to press his advantage but Teal'c would have none of it. He was a blur of movements, blocking Worf's every blow until the klingon finally landed a blade into the Jaffa's neck as the staff weapon went off point blank in his face.

Both combatants fell back with wounds that would have been mortal in a real fight, but Picard could see the wounds on the Jaffa's body close and the blood on his armor disappear. For his part, Worf was on one knee, head hanging down as he shook the effects of the intar weapon off.

The Jaffa stepped over and held out a hand, not to help, as the Klingon was getting to his feet, but to shake. The Klingon grasped the Jaffa's wrist and they shook. "You are a skilled warrior, Teal'c of the Jaffa," Worf said.

"As are you, Worf, son of Mogh."

The crowd was starting to enter the arena, and Picard stepped up to the two combatants. "Excellent fight, gentlemen. A true test of a warrior's mettle."

Teal'c inclined his head, with a beatific smile on his face while Worf stood up straight. "Thank you, Commodore," he said, all dignity and honor.

Two Weeks Later…

Rodney was again frustrated with the Wraith culling beam. Why it was not working was still a mystery. He had built a technological version of the beam, which worked beautifully, but when it was connected to the memory units Todd had given them, it refused to reverse. Dax was certain that it had to do with a cypher built into the memory. The memory was somehow encoded so that there was no way to reverse the system without the original cypher. Rodney was at first skeptical, but the more they worked with the system, the more he was certain that Dax could be right.

Daniel Jackson and Picard were working just as hard at Earth, but on a different area for the Iconians. When they had left their timeline, the Ori had destroyed almost all habitable planets in Avalon. This left many planets of humans that had not developed their own hyperspace travel. The Prime Directive dictated that the Federation should not interfere in their development. These groups were somewhat of an enigma, however, because they were very much aware of the Stargate system, and other civilizations.

Ambassador Spock and the two Iconian ambassadors, Jade O'Neill and Nefreyu, had worked out a beneficial treaty for both parties. Now, Jackson and Picard were on Earth to lend their support to the three as they spoke to the council. As the two approached the council chambers, Ambassadors Spock, Jade, and Nefreyu joined them. While Spock and his great-grandfather were personal friends of the council president, Picard was always a bit in awe of entering this chamber. He knew most of the people, including President Sulu, but the amount of power that was wielded here was enough to sober anyone. Not just Earth was governed here, but several hundred worlds.

"Thank you for joining us, gentlemen," the Vulcan said just before they entered the council chambers.

This meeting had been scheduled well in advance, and Sulu, as well as most of the council, had already been briefed.. They had all read diplomatic packets prepared by the Iconians, and in fact, had approved of the treaty negotiated by these three skilled diplomats.

Each council member stood as the five approached the front of the room, and as they seated themselves, the council sat. Spock and Picard remained standing at the front of the room. "Mr. President," the Vulcan intoned, "it is gratifying to see you after such a long time."

"Welcome, Ambassador," Sulu stated. "It most definitely is good to see you."

"Sir," Spock continued, "you are, of course, aware of the progress we have made in our negotiations."

"Yes, Mr. Ambassador, I am aware. In exchange for the use of several uninhabited planets and our assistance with slipstream technology, each Federation world will have access to the Iconian stargate system."

Jade O'Neill stood and was recognized.

"Mr. President," she said, "we have several races with us, who, by your law, would not be eligible for contact. They are not warp capable, but are able to reach out to us, via the gates."

Sulu nodded, then said, "In my opinion, those gates void the Prime Directive on those planets. As I'm sure Ambassador Spock has explained, our law prohibits making first contact with a race that is unaware that they are not alone in the universe, unless their discovery of such is imminent, as with a race that has just discovered spacewarp. The refugees you have with you, are knowledgeable of other people in the universe. Aren't they?"

Jade fidgeted a bit, then explained. "Mr. President, some of them are; however, some were culled by the Wraith in order to save them from the Ori, and are still in the culling buffers. We have not had much success with reversing the process, and our Wraith allies disappeared during our journey. When we succeed in reversing them, we could have several million people from various races of humans who know nothing of what has happened to them, except that they were culled, and are now free." She looked around at the Federation delegates and then at Spock, who nodded for her to continue. She could feel his telepathy brushing her mind. "Trust the president," his mind was telling her. She nodded and looked back at President Sulu.

"Sir, I make no apology for Todd, the leader of the Wraith, doing what he did. He was saving humans wholesale, as much as he could. The Iconian Alliance feels that what he did was commendable." She glanced back at Nefreyu, and he smiled. She could feel his support as well. For all her power as a Q, she still hated public speaking. She wished Merlin were here. She had always had a special relationship with him, and would love to have his support at this moment. "We wish to point out that some of the worlds we are asking for will be, by your own law, 'hands-off' worlds to you. We will place stargates there, and will ease these people into the knowledge required to understand what has happened."

"I object!" It was a gruff voice and the person who owned it stood up. Jade was struck by how porcine the delegate appeared.

"The chair recognizes the Tellerite delegate, Gran," the president said mildly, as several delegates could be heard vocalizing their disapproval of the interruption.

"If the Iconians are to use our worlds, then we should be allowed to have someone present to observe this so called 'easing of them into knowledge'."

Before the president could say anything, Spock responded. "An excellent idea, Madam Delegate. In fact, I have discussed this at length with the Iconian ambassadors, and they too, agree that what you are proposing would be in the best interest of the Federation, as the worlds will essentially be on loan from us."

Gran sat down in a huff, knowing that she had been out maneuvered by Spock, but having nothing she could do about it.

Sulu gazed out over the delegates surrounding the stage. He turned back to Spock, and with great feeling said, "Spock, you have represented this Federation for over sixty years now, and I can't think of anyone I would rather place my trust in as Ambassador. I understand your desire for a special meeting with the council. No one was expecting that we would be unable to set foot on these planets for a time, and I thank you for bringing it to our attention. That being said, you have the complete backing of this council in all matters. That was decided before you entered, and nothing anyone has said since then changes that decision."

Spock nodded and said, "Thank you, Mr. President, Delegates."

The Iconian ambassadors also thanked the council as they took their leave.

Outside the chambers, the group sat down at one of the sidewalk cafes that seemed to be getting more and more popular in San Francisco. The waiter bustled over and Jade and Jackson ordered coffee. Picard requested an Earl Grey, hot, while Nefreyu ordered some herbal tea. Spock simply asked for water.

Picard regarded Jackson. "I suppose I should be asking your ambassadors this, but I am curious as to why you do not join the Federation. I know the ambassadors have discussed this, but…" Picard knew it was somewhat improper for him to ask, but the Iconians had always been an interest of his. He knew more about them than many archeologists did, and he wasn't about to accept not knowing why they refused to join.

Jackson smiled. "I understand, Commodore, that our ambassadors have been very quiet on this subject to you. Spock has explained to me how you have studied the Iconians for many years." He paused, wondering what to say, exactly. "There are some things I just can't say. I've been forbidden to say. Believe me, it's as frustrating for me as it is for you."

"You're forbidden to say… By Merlin," Picard said. He was starting to actively dislike the Wizard, even though he had never met him.

"Yes," Jackson said. "By Merlin. And by our temporal prime directive."

"Are you saying that you know of something in my future that I cannot know of yet? Is it my death?"

"Yes, I know about something of your future, and no, it's not your death. But you know, Sir, that if I was to give you knowledge of certain things, it could change the timeline."

"But you are from the past," Picard argued.

"Yes. Yes we are," Jackson agreed.

"Then how can you know…." He broke off realizing the implications. "Unless somehow, in my future, I travel into the past."

Jackson neither nodded nor shook his head. Instead, he held Picard's gaze as he said, "No one in the Alliance is against joining the Federation. However, over the years, we have learned the importance of patience. Until the Federation and the Alliance understand each other better, we cannot take that step. Both for our safety and yours."

Picard understood that Jackson was saying no more. He also strongly suspected that he had made some crucial connection that Jackson couldn't confirm but wouldn't deny.

Later that Evening…

Vice Chancelor Daniel Jackson stood at the podium in the council chambers in Camelot. Hundreds of delegates filled the room with other officials and the media in the balcony. He was in his element, lecturing on history... the history of the Federation. His new friend, Jean Luc Picard, would be making a similar presentation to the Federation regarding the Iconians. For now, Picard was seated on the platform, ready to help if Jackson got stuck answering a question after his lecture.

"My fellow Iconians," Daniel began. "I would like to explain what has happened in the last three hundred thousand years in our galaxy. From what we have been able to piece together, with the help of our friends, the United Federation of Planets, and in particular, Commodore Jean Luc Picard, the Doci's death has had far reaching implications.

"We know that the Doci had become a Q, and when he died, it was out of time. As we know, the death of a Q is a fixed point in time, no matter the reality. He or she must die at the same moment in time in all realities. For the Doci, this was not the case. He died out of time, and this caused a convergence of realities. While this is something the Q would never condone under normal circumstances, in this case it was something that was essential for the universe to develop as it must. We are in a fractured reality, or rather, a reality which was destined to fracture.

"When this happened, we believe that at least five Earths expanded outward from the point of origin of the planet. Interestingly, this sphere is at that point of origin. Our own Earth was flung far from here, as was the Federation Earth. I have studied many Federation records and have found that Federation ships have visited three of those Earths. Ours, unfortunately, has not been found, that I could determine.

"The Federation has given me access to their history, and I will try to summarize some of the major points. This Earth became spacefaring in their late twentieth century, as did we. We gained FTL travel quickly, thanks to the technology we gained through the stargate. However, these people took about a hundred years, but they did it on their own, after their third world war.

"The FTL technology they developed was not hyperspace as we know it. It is referred to as warp drive, and while we use hyperspace to travel faster than light, they use subspace. As such, warp technology is much slower than our hyperspace. Hyperspace, however, will not work in this time, because of the untimely death of the Doci, so we must be prepared to use our gate technology or the much slower warp of this time period.

"Earth also began reaching out to other races when they developed warp drive. They became friends with the Vulcans, and other races. They made the acquaintance of the Klingons at this time as well, but did not cultivate a friendship for nearly another hundred or more years.

"The timeline was again altered when a version of Ambassador Spock and some miners from a race known as the Romulans came through a rift in space. They came from a time one hundred years into our current future, to about a hundred years into our past. These miners used their superior technology to alter the past, and thereby change their future, permanently. They destroyed the Vulcan homeworld, and the Klingon moon, Praxis, which sent the Klingons into economic chaos

"Admiral Marcus, then commander in chief of Starfleet, the Federation's defense and exploration arm, developed a virus, through Starfleet's R&D sector, which was spread through the protien resequencers on each world of the Federation. This had the effect of augmenting the human population of the Federation, and to a lesser degree, other races.

"The effect on humans was much like that of the Nox virus. Human lifespans were lengthened. Intelligence, healing factors... All of that was expanded. However, while the Nox virus focused on physical healing and intelligence, the augment virus of the federation focused more on strength as a higher priority than intelligence.

"Don't get me wrong! Their virus more than tripled the intelligence of the average person, and did the same with strength, so the Federation people are incredibly smart by our old standards of measurement. But while the average increase was three times for intelligence, strength averaged around three point eight times. Those figures are approximately reversed for the Nox virus.

"About eighty years ago, the Federation Commander of Starfleet, Admiral James Kirk, met with an old adversary of his in the Klingon Empire, one Dahar Master Kang, and they were able to forge an alliance between the two governments. This alliance proved to be beyond fruitful for both sides, and eventually, the Klingon Empire joined the Federation. For the last fifty years, each Starfleet ship has a special officer, termed a Battle Captain, who is trained for combat with both Federation and Klingon battle tactics.

"When a race joins the Federation, they bring what they can to the table, to help contribute to their overall culture. In the case of the Klingons, this was the art of warfare. In the case of the Vulcans, they brought scientific knowledge and proficiency in exploration.

"Another race, known as the Fabrini, brought an extensive medical knowledge to the Federation. I've even read that there is a member race called the 'Horta' which are a silicon based life form, and they use a hyper corrosive acid to move through rock as easily as we move through air. Their contribution is as natural miners. The Ardanans and many others, contributed their love of art and beauty.

"The Iconian Alliance has signed a treaty with the Federation, although we have not joined them. That step may very well be taken in the future, but for now, we need to be prudent and cautious."

Jackson allowed for questions and he and Picard answered them thoroughly. Finally, after several hours, the two were confident that both fears and curiosity had been satisfied.

Two Weeks Later…

Vala's enthusiasm brought history to life, as she and Daniel continued to sift through the innumerable historical records the Federation had shared with the Iconians. They had been perusing some old news stories, and he came across a picture of someone he thought he recognized. "Vala, can you look at this?" he asked his wife. "I think we may know this man."

Vala glanced quickly at the screen and did a double take. "I think you're right, Daniel," she said. "He certainly looks familiar to me."

"The first name is right, but not the last." Daniel thumbed a communication switch. "Jackson to O'Neill and Teal'c."

A few minutes later, Jack, Sam, and Teal'c had joined them and were staring at the computer terminal. The face smiling back was little changed, except for the seriously curled mustache and a bit less hair, but it was immediately recognizable.

"That's him," Sam said.

"Teal'c?" O'Neill asked, "what do you think?"

"I too agree, O'Neill. I am certain that this is him."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Jack complained. "I should probably talk to Admiral Kirk, don'tcha think?"

"That's up to you, Jack," Daniel said. "I refuse to get involved here."

"Yet you had no problem showing me the picture, did you?"

"Well… I just…. The last name fits him, you know?" Daniel stammered.

"Yes," Jack agreed. "Mudd. Who woulda thought ol' Harry Mayborne would go from being Arkhan the first, to a crooked trader with the last name of Mudd. Kinda sad, I suppose."

"Then why are you smiling, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked, rather unnecessarily as he had an enormous grin on his face as well.

"I think I'll go see him," O'Neill said.

"Why bother?" Sam asked. "According to the article, he was sentenced to one hundred years. He gets out in less than a year."

"And I think I'll see him each day of that remaining year," Jack said. "For old times sake. And to… rub it in a bit." He stood and looked at his wife. "Just rub it in a bit," he said again.

"Jack, don't you think he's paid his debt to society?" Sam asked as Jack started to the door.

O'Neill turned back with a defensive look on his face. "No. Not quite," he answered, then turned and left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been five years since the Iconians arrived in the Federation's time period, and it was now decided that the time had come for the iconians to join the United Federation of Planets. This union would be a tricky one to manage, however, as the Alliance contained several people who also existed in the Federation, but at different periods in their lives.

Picard was sitting in his ready room when there was a door chime. He put down his cup of Earl Grey and looked up from his screen. "Come," he announced. Rather than the door opening, however, the room lit up and Daniel Jackson flashed into being, sitting relaxed on Picard's sofa, legs crossed, and an arm around Vala, who flashed in beside him.

"Daniel! Vala! Good to see you both! I'm not sure I will ever get used to the way you arrive, however," he said smiling.

"Good to see you too, Jean Luc," Daniel said.

"Oh, you'll get used to it," Vala said.

Picard shook his head. In all the time I've dealt with Janus, I am still not used to his comings and goings. I'm afraid I'm just old fashioned in my way of thinking."

"Well," Daniel said, "we'd like to discuss something with you." Picard looked curious and Jackson went on. "The Iconian Alliance has decided to join the Federation. Ambassador Spock, Jade, and Nefreyu are working out the details of the treaty as we speak."

"That's wonderful news," Picard exclaimed.

"Yes, but we have some things to tell you which you may find disturbing," Vala said.

"And what might that be?"

"Well," Daniel said hesitantly, "it might be easier to show you."

Picard watched as another person flashed into the room. He had thought he was prepared for just about anything the Q could throw at him, but this surprised him. He was quite satisfied that he didn't react, but it took all of his self control to keep the astonishment from showing on his face. The newly arrived Picard held out his hand to him and announced, "I am Merlin." Picard looked at the outstretched hand and then back at the duplicate standing in front of his desk.

"Is this some sort of a joke?" he asked, scowling.

"I assure you, it is no joke," Merlin said.

"I am assuming that this is what you couldn't tell me about my future five years ago," Picard said to Daniel.

"No, actually telling you this wouldn't have had too much of an adverse effect on the universe in general," Jackson answered. "There are other things you still can't know."

Merlin still had his hand stretched out over the desk. "Would it hurt you to shake my hand, Jean Luc?"

Slowly the starship commander stood up, reached out, and grasped the hand of his future self. He stood appraising the Q. After a moment of looking him up and down, he indicated the chair in front of the desk. "Please have a seat."

Merlin nodded and seated himself. Picard did the same and they sat regarding each other for a long moment.

"How do I become Q? "

"You understand that I cannot tell you that," Merlin said.

"Yes, but it doesn't hurt to ask, does it?" Picard responded.

"Not at all, and I assure you that I would tell you if it wouldn't affect so much. I would have liked to know when I was you."

"And how long ago was that?" Picard asked.

"Let's just say that the years ahead for you far outnumber the years behind, Jean Luc."

Picard nodded and then changed tack. "So things about me personally, you can't answer. I understand and respect that. Can you tell me, then, will some of my colleagues also become Q?"

Daniel answered. "Yes. We figured this was the best way for you to learn about Merlin, but there are other Q that you know personally." Slowly, to help shelter him from the shock, the three explained about The Commander and The First, but not how either of them came to be a Q. Nor did they explain about Merlin being grandfather to Jack Carter and his siblings. That information, as well as knowledge of his own wife and children needed to be learned at a later date.

It surprised Picard that he accepted this information as readily as he did, but he had learned to trust Jackson, and for the life of him, he saw no reason for these Q to lie to him.

Later, In San Francisco...  
On the steps of the Capitol Building, Merlin flashed into being. He was due for an appointment with the UFP president, Hikaru Sulu. He stepped through the weapon deactivation units easily, and through the guard post with no difficulty. Had he needed a weapon, he would have no difficulty making one or a hundred appear on his person, but there was no need for that. He was ushered into the president's office, and Sulu stood and offered his hand. "I've been informed as to your identity, but you've got to understand, I've known Jean Luc Picard for many years, and it is strange knowing you're not him."

"But I am, indeed him, Mr. President, albeit a much older version. I remember meeting you many years ago and I remember you giving me my advanced pilots exam at Starfleet Academy when I was a cadet."

Sulu was startled, "I'm sorry, Sir, I didn't realize. I know I need to think of you as Merlin, not Picard. I guess it just hadn't sunk in yet."

"That is quite alright, Mr. President. I understand how confusing this can be."

Sulu offered Merlin a chair, and they got down to business.

"Ambassador Spock tells me that the Iconians are capable of manufacturing antimatter cheaply."

"Among other things. We can create other inexpensive sources of power as well. What the Iconians call naquadah is the metallic form of dilithium. I have been told by one of our most prominent scientists that it may be possible to manufacture dilithium from naquadah, thereby bypassing the Federation's problem with replicating it."

With each item of the agreement they discussed, they both felt more confident in the success of the Iconian membership. Eventually, Sulu stood and said, "From what I can see, Merlin, the Iconians joining the Federation seems to be a great fit. As strange as it seems to be saying this to you, welcome to the Federation, Sir." He reached out and grasped Merlin's hand.

"Thank you, Mr. President," Merlin said, smiling.

On the Dyson Sphere…  
Daniel Jackson was in his element. In addition to his duties as Vice Chancellor, he had spent the last five years extensively studying Federation history. Picard had introduced him to Dr. Richard Galen, his old archaeology professor, and when the three of them got together, they made a formidable team that had become respected throughout the Federation. Many theories had been postulated by them, and later proven, much to the disgust of many of their colleagues. It was pointed out that with Jackson a Q, all of their theories, whether correct or not, could and would be proven. Jackson, for his part, maintained that he never falsified any research, but those who suggested it remained unconvinced. Professor Galen said it was just professional jealousy, and Picard agreed with him. Jackson was an incredibly disciplined and gifted archeologist, and Picard was glad to be on the team with him.

Over the past few years, the three had made some startling discoveries, the most surprising of which was the story of a missing Baal. They had discovered that one of the Goa'uld's clones had been missed, and had even travelled into the future with the Iconians, keeping a low profile. However, before they had arrived in the time of the Federation, the small refugee ship the clone had been on was lost from the rest of the fleet and dropped into regular space. The ship crash landed on a small planet in the outskirts of what would become Federation space in a few thousand years. All aboard perished including Baal's human host. However, his symbiote, while weakened, was able to transfer to another host that happened upon the downed ship.

In the new host, Baal wasn't able to take complete control, and whether this was because he was weakened or something about the host, he wasn't sure. What became clear soon after he entered the host was that their minds merged, and they started acting as one. He found that the host was a fascinating creature, although somewhat simple in it's mind. He was rather disgusted at it's appearance, but because he was joined to it so completely, those thoughts soon faded. His goals and ambitions were colored by the host also, and it no longer mattered to him to be thought of as a god. Rather, he found he was simply wanting power and money, more for greed's sake than anything else.

The host Baal was in, he soon discovered, was called a Ferengi. As a race, they were rather shy, and unobtrusive, but he changed that quickly enough. When he returned to Ferenginar, he used his intelligence and experience to start a political movement based in greed. As a race, the Ferengi found this appealing and they quickly restructured their government to reflect the new ideology. Naturally, Baal orchestrated things to where he was the head of this new government and he grandiosely called himself the Grand Nagus, and passed laws requiring all Ferengi to behave as he did.

Daniel found it compelling that the last known System Lord had left his mark on a time so far into the future from the peak of their power. The researchers briefly speculated that Baal could have moved from one Grand Nagus to the next, however, without a sarcophagus, this was unlikely.

Normally, Picard was away on the D, as the commanding officer. Now, however, he was taking shore leave on the sphere and working with Jackson and Professor Galen. He was glancing through archives of the recent past, seeing if he could find any evidence of some of the other missing Iconians prematurely dropping out of the time warp into normal space. What caught his eye was an article in a Topeka newspaper. He was looking at a picture he had seen before. It showed a man and a woman sitting on a couch, holding an infant girl. What surprised him, was that he now recognized the man and woman where they had previously been strangers to him. The article stated that the child was Amanda Rogers, and that the couple were her parents. The freak tornado that had killed her parents had made this little girl famous for a time. What was surprising was that her parents were clearly Jack and Samantha O'Neill. He sat for a long time wondering what, if anything, to do with this information. He wondered how a tornado could have killed a couple of Q. Perhaps it was more than just a freak tornado? He supposed that there must be an explanation beyond what he knew from history, as he didn't think Jack and Sam were the kind of people who would abandon a child. Picard pondered the facts as he understood them. Sam and Jack were stuck on the sphere for three hundred thousand years, unable to use their powers as Q until just before the Iconians arrived, five years ago. But Amanda Rogers was orphaned on Earth eight years before that, and was now thirteen years old. Therefore, sometime in their future, Jack and Sam must travel back in time, have a child on Earth, and then die in a tornado. He shook his head, baffled by a universe that left him wondering about the flow of time in his friends' lives.

Elsewhere on the Sphere…  
Kevin Blake, Douglas Fargo, and Janus were working together in one of Sarah's labs. They had been working on the problem of growing dilithium from naquadah. It wasn't quite as simple as one might think. The power requirements were quite extreme, and even though Sarah had power to spare, what she didn't use for the sphere was shunted into hyperspace, and wasted. There was simply no known way to store that much raw energy.

Kevin had been musing about this problem for quite some time. He had been sitting in front of a computer, trying to find a compound that would be usable in a capacitor capable of storing the necessary power for several hours. As the last simulation reached the end of it's run with negative results, he slumped in his chair. Fargo noticed, and asked, "Another negative?"

Kevin looked up and nodded. "This is the two hundred forty-third compound I've tried. Nothing seems to work. I know Aunt Sam said this is possible, and we can do it. I just don't think it's efficient enough to be worth it. Everything I try uses way more time and energy than it would cost to mine natural crystals."

Janus stood up from the bench he was working at. He walked to where he could see Kevin's screen. "Well, I was going to ask if you were thinking outside the box, but from what I'm seeing here, you definitely have been. Just out of curiosity, how would you achieve a temperature of negative one hundred twenty kelvin?"

"If it had worked in simulation, I would have left that up to you," Kevin answered. "I was hoping that the math would allow neutronium to become a superconductor at that temperature. It's density should have allowed… would have allowed enough energy to be stored, but it seems that the neutronium just isn't conductive at any temperature."

"Well, it is," Janus explained, "but it's more conductive to thermal energy than electrical energy. That's where you're running into problems. Even if you could get it that cold, which obviously you can't without breaking the laws of physics, you couldn't hold it there long enough because it would be drawing thermal energy from the surrounding space." He clapped Kevin on the shoulder. "Nice thinking though, Kev!"

"Thanks," Kevin said, disheartened. He sighed, and started to turn back to his computer, but a thought came to him. "Wait a sec!" he exclaimed, turning back to Janus and Fargo. "That's it! If we could pull energy from the surrounding space, we could do it!"

"I thought you were looking into zero point energy earlier. There's not enough in a ZPM," Fargo said.

"Not a standard ZPM. I'm talking about making a super charged ZPM. We're already channeling the extra energy from the star into hyperspace. What if we were to focus it on one point in hyperspace? Like what we do when we build a ZPM?"

"But a ZPM can only channel so much energy back from the pocket universe it's tapped into before it burns out," Fargo argued. "That's why we only put so much energy into the manufacture of one. It's a waste to use more."

Kevin was nodding. "Right, that's because of the speed a ZPM can pull the energy out of the pocket. But we don't need to pull the energy that fast. As a matter of fact, unless we were using Atlantis' wormhole drive, we don't need to pull that much power from a ZPM all at once, ever!"

"Hang on a minute," Janus said, a smile starting to form on his face. "You're saying that we could get the power needed from a ZPM if it wouldn't burn out as fast? What if we were to put an inhibitor crystal into the ZPM so it couldn't transfer power as fast?"

Fargo was smiling now too. "That might work! I'll bet we could even tap several ZPMs into the same pocket for drawing power!"

"You bet we could!" Kevin exclaimed. "We could probably shunt all the excess power from the star into it and replace the standard ZPM modules with the super ZPM module and have them all tapped into the same pocket. We'd end up powering everything from the sphere's star! A single pocket universe outside our own, rendering distance, time, and direction completely meaningless. We could power your time jumper with one and travel to any point in time or space and still have a steady stream of power."

"Now, let's not get crazy here," Janus said, cautioning. "You're right about what this could achieve, but there are still reasons why we might need a faster transfer rate. Shields, for example. I think we'd probably need more power for drones too, but I think you're on to something here, Kev. Let's figure out how much power we can draw through a ZPM without it eventually depleting, then work on an inhibitor crystal. Whether this works for dilithium manufacturing or not, I'll bet it works as a power source for lots of other things."

It took several weeks to get the power transfer rate stabilized so a ZPM wouldn't burn itself out, but once they had the rate figured, it was easy enough to grow an inhibitor crystal that would hold the rate steady. The super ZPM power output wasn't quite high enough to grow dilithium, however, by arranging three of them to produce three phase power, they were able make the process practical. This same setup also allowed for a power transfer rate closer to that of a single ZPM, thereby allowing shields and other high energy usage equipment to be powered by the Super ZPMs. Because of the need for three modules to equal one standard ZPM, however, it was more economical to use a standard one in many cases, but for long term, high output, the Super was definitely the way to go.

Once the SZPM was in production, it was installed into each of the Ancient vessels, starting with the Auroras. These and the city ships were quite easy to modify. Basically, what amounted to a diode was placed in between each of the three ZPM slots and the power conduits. This allowed for the standard amount of power in an uninterrupted manner. All three modules would deliver power, but only at the specified time in the phase cycle. To regain the redundancy that once existed, another SZPM trio was added.

Fargo had another idea for the modules: communications. A Federation style transporter was used to direct a matter stream into the pocket. This matter stream would form a box nearly the size of a starship with a small communications relay inside it. Once inside the pocket, the box was designed to collapse in on itself. As it was transported, it was incredibly dense, but the energy density of the pocket would cause the box to collapse even farther, into neutronium. It would function as a communication hub, and telemetry transmitter from the pocket so they could monitor it's condition. Ships and cities with SZPMs were able to send signals through an un-resisted connection to a single module and on to the relay. The relay would then direct the signal to the correct SZPM terminal.

After the Auroras and city ships, more complicated connections were devised to hook the new systems into Asgard and Terran vessels. A system was designed by Fargo to connect the power supplies into Ha'tak vessels, but it was not implemented as the Jaffa were considering striking out on their own rather than remaining with the Iconians.

A few months after the Asgard vessels began receiving the SZPM modules, Janus approached Admiral Kirk with the idea of installing a standard ZPM module aboard some Federation ships. Kirk thought the idea sounded good, and ordered D to the sphere for a test run of the system.

Enterprise-D coasted into orbit around Iconia Prime and Picard transported to the surface. He was met by Kevin, Fargo, and Janus. "Gentlemen," he greeted them, genuinely happy to see Kevin and Fargo, but still untrusting of Janus.

"Greetings, mon Capitan," Janus said, not helping Picard's feelings regarding him in the slightest.

In response, Picard glared, and Janus decided to let well enough alone for the time being. They stepped into a conference room inside their quonset hut laboratory, and sat down.

"Commodore," Fargo began. "We have communicated with Starfleet regarding the new SZPM modules. We would like to test one aboard D."

"I see," Picard said. "If I understand correctly, they utilize a form of zero point energy, correct?"

"Yes, Sir," Kevin said enthusiastically, "I figure with a trio of modules like we have on board Atlantis, you should have double the power output you have right now!"

"That would be a considerable increase," Picard said, "but how do we know that the energy generated by your ZPMs is compatible with D's power requirements? We might end up blowing our entire power grid."

"I considered that," Janus nodded. "And to that end, I discussed the matter with the twins when I developed the power converter that would connect the modules to your conduits. They assure me that there is absolutely no danger."

Picard considered his words carefully. "Janus, I hope you will not take offense at this, but I really don't want something you've designed anywhere near the power transfer conduits on my ship."

Janus nodded. "I admit, Commodore, that I deserve that. Would it help if I were to show the complete specs to Commander LaForge before anything was even removed from it's shipping crates?"

"Show him before you even pack your equipment, and I'll consider it. If he doesn't like anything he sees, I don't care what Starfleet Command says, you will not even beam your equipment aboard my vessel, let alone connect it."

"Fair enough, Commodore. I'm willing to go over the specs anytime he wishes."

Picard stood and said brusquely, "Good. I'll have Commander LaForge beam down immediately. Now if you'll excuse me, Q"

Picard exited the conference room quickly, and Kevin turned to Janus. "What did you do to him?"

Janus shook his head. "I rebelled."


	7. Chapter 7

Enterprise-D had performed beautifully with the ZPMs connected to her power supplies. They were not the super variety, but there were three of them, just like in the pre SZPM power room of Atlantis. The three ZPMs were designed to act as one. A single ZPM had a power output approaching that of a D's warp core. The big difference was that a ZPM could yield all of that power at once without exploding. The three modules now in her engine room were not capable of yielding three times the power at once. Instead, they would yield the same amount of power for three times the duration. Granted that was not a very long time - something measured in microseconds, but the explosion of power would be like transferring a warp core overload through the power couplings of D.

After D, Yomato received a set of ZPMs, then the remaining Federation vessels. Many of Starfleet's command staff thought it unnecessary to install such a power supply in A, but Captain Scott secretly spoke to the twins, and they developed a conversion unit specifically designed for the aging ship. As they were installing the unit the Iconian Scott held up a small module for the engineer's inspection. "This wee part… it'll give the ol' lass a second wind."

Captain Scott eyed the small piece of equipment. "Aye? And what is it?"

The twin smiled. "That's the question, now isn't it, Lad? Ye install that in line between the power modules and the conversion unit, and if it sees that ye have dropped in a set of Super ZPMs, it'll switch the system over ta' runnin' them." He turned to Commander LaForge, who was assisting while D was picking up some cargo containers. "Here's one for D, too, Lad," he said, holding out a similar piece.

LaForge eyed the piece of equipment. "Scotty," he said, "I watched Janus install something identical to this when we were finishing the install on D."

"Did he now?" Scotty replied with a chuckle. "I'm not surprised. We both worked on this design together."

It was not the idea of the Iconian council to install SZPMs aboard the Federation vessels, but Scotty, Geordie, and Janus knew that at some point they may be needed, so building the power converter unit to automatically detect whichever module it contained seemed like a smart idea.

"Not that I'm looking a gift horse in the mouth, Scotty, but how would we get our hands on a set of super ZPMs?" LaForge asked.

"I just happen to have what you need to turn your standard modules into super ones." He picked up a small case that he had brought with him. Inside, it contained eight pale orange crystals. "Three and a spare for each o' ye," Scotty said, smiling. He tapped a control on top of one of the ZPM slots, and the module slid up into view. Inside it, could clearly be seen a green crystal. "To make the switch, ye slide that wee green one out, and slide this orange one into it's place. This is the inhibitor crystal. Take care that ye don' deplete the modules all the way, though, otherwise they won't work as a super module."

"Aye, I understand," Captain Scott said. "If ye deplete it, there's no good crystal left to carry the load!"

"Aye, Lad," Scotty confirmed. "Stop drainin' 'em at around ten percent, otherwise they'll do ye no good."

Nine Years After the Iconians Arrived…

Picard was sitting in his ready room, sipping a cup of Earl Grey when he received an 'eyes only' communique from Starfleet. He entered his cypher into his desktop terminal and his worst fears were confirmed as he looked at the screen. He slowly set down the cup of tea and thumbed his alert switch for the command crew. His ears registered the alert by the computer for Martok, Worf, and Riker to come to his ready room, but he didn't really hear it. The door chime sounded twice before he absently said, "Come."

The two Klingons and Riker entered the room and stood before his desk. "Have a seat," he told them. Martok and Worf both glanced at each other, preferring to stand, but sitting anyway as was the human custom.

"What is it?" Riker asked, concerned about Picard's attitude.

Picard seemed to shake himself, then he looked at his officers. "Five long range tactical Borg cubes have been detected entering Federation space. They have already destroyed several Romulan vessels. They were spotted by the Klingon bird of prey, Sov, which was cloaked. Somehow the Borg spotted him anyway and destroyed him. Captain Lin got off a distress call before being destroyed."

"Lin has been destroyed? He was a good warrior," Martok said. Picard knew it was not idle praise that prompted his Battle Captain to say that. He had seen the Klingon sparring with Lin when they were on Earth two years ago. The Klingon had towered over the Oriental Lin, but somehow the human, Lin, had managed to send the Klingon's bat 'leth flying as he stopped just short of penetrating the massive chest with his own weapon. He used a Scottish highlander, almost as long as he was tall. Picard had never known how the small man had managed, either with the highlander, or as captain of an almost exclusively Klingon crew, but he had seen Lin's crew with their captain. They had been as loyal to him as if he was their father. He could well have been since he was well over two hundred years old and still looking forward to another hundred. Such a waste, Picard thought, he must have given them the fight of their lives!

"He shall be avenged," Worf said grimly.

"Yes, he will," Riker added.

Picard nodded, "Agreed." He turned to Martok and ordered, "Prepare the ship for battle mode, and contact the battle group. I want them by our sides as we arrive. We are ordered to Wolf 359. The Federation will make it's stand there." As the others left the room, he stopped Riker. "Prepare the Qan, Will."

"Certainly, Sir," he affirmed. As he left the ready room, he tapped his communicator. "Riker to Barkley," then the door closed behind him.

Picard thought about his friendship with Lin, after they had gone, and a steel determination that he not have died in vain slowly enveloped his heart.

When D rendezvoused with Qan, the civilians on board the galaxy class vessel transported to the smaller science vessel. During battle, the Qan would head towards the nearest Federation populated world. That was not to say that Qan had no teeth and was not able to defend himself. He was a Klingon designed vessel and was armed quite well. His normal commander was a scientist, and the ship had been scouting a couple of light years from D. He would always remain near to the assigned patrol of the larger vessel, and was technically an extension of D's scientific duties. Once the ship was recalled, Commander Reginald Barkley was automatically bumped to the position of commander of the Qan. He was marginally a line officer, which put him above Captain Data, the regular commander, who was fully capable of commanding the science vessel when not in battle. Actually, Data was fully capable of commanding even during battle, but had not received his certification yet. He had taken all the classes required, but was waiting for Starfleet bureaucracy to approve him. Barkley would accompany the Qan to a world where it would set down, but unless an emergency situation arose, he would not usurp Captain Data's authority.

In Kirk's day, a Captain was certified for command in any situation, but once the Klingons became part of the Federation, bringing their battle tactics with them, a commander could focus solely on scientific ventures or battle. Some commanders chose to cross train, but those were few and far between. Picard was one such commander, which was why he was in charge of the entire battle wing. Riker had also cross trained, and both had recently been promoted. Riker, to the rank of Captain, which technically made him the commanding officer of Enterprise-D. Picard had become a rear admiral and reluctantly gave up command of the ship, but in the upcoming situation his knowledge would be much better used in charge of the battle group. As a flag officer, he would be the highest ranking officer in the Federation fleet present, and would be in charge of the entire force. As such, the mundane tasks of commanding a single ship were to be avoided.

Martok would command the battle section of Enterprise, and Riker would take the saucer section which would shortly be undergoing a startling transformation. Rikers's ready room would no longer be just an office, but the bulkhead between it and the briefing room would dematerialize, along with the table. Several stations would appear and people would rush in to assume their positions.

As the last of the civilians transported to Qan, Enterprise prepared herself for battle. Using the ZPM power source, this was much easier to accomplish. First, she strengthened her warp field and structural integrity fields. Then, the transport buffers scanned every crewmember's quarters. Everything in the quarters was dematerialized and stored in permanent memory. Next, the bulkheads disappeared. It was unnecessary to store them as they could be remanufactured through replication technology. The floors between every other deck were also removed, then things started appearing. First, enormous doors were created in the hull, top and bottom, on each side of the saucer, and in the front. Next, a huge tank of fuel appeared on each deck, near the center of the saucer. Row after row of fighters materialized in what had been neatly converted into giant hangar decks throughout the saucer. At the back of the saucer, in front of the engine room, sickbay was expanded to twenty times it's normal size, and five holographic doctors came online, one on each of the floors now being occupied by sickbay. The shuttlebay at the back of the saucer would be used almost exclusively for medical shuttles. The entire floor of the bay became a transporter pad divided into ten thousand segments, a hundred on each side. Each segment could work in concert with others, or separately. Thus, all one had to do with an injured crew member was to get him out of a shuttle and he could be beamed directly to sickbay. At the same time, the shuttle could be beamed out of the shuttle bay into storage elsewhere on the ship, or even into space if necessary. Transport controls were manned by an officer on a balcony above the floor, but were watched over by computer. This was for safety's sake as no one wanted to beam a person into space by accident in the heat of battle. Several non combatants had argued that this transporter floor was a needless waste because the transporters were capable of site to site beaming. It had been pointed out that in battle, every extra expenditure of energy is to be avoided, and site to site transportation was highly inefficient.

Along the outside of Enterprise dozens of new weapon turrets were formed and power connections were made. Along the bow of the D, antimatter charge cannons formed, Dozens encircling the entire saucer and battle section. Pulse phaser turrets came into being, creating a full point defense grid. As well, deep within Enterprise a secondary and tertiary shield buffer was brought online and charged. Lastly, the hull was reinforced with a second layer, and compressed to double its density.

As soon as these changes were made, the crew came to full alert, and started inspecting their consoles and control systems. Pilots climbed into their fighters, and security forces were stationed throughout the ship.

Wolf 359...

When Enterprise dropped out of warp, she found herself surrounded by over a thousand ships. Most of the ships were small single person fighters, about three quarters of which were of Iconian design. Enterprise split into her saucer and battle section, then Yomato dropped out of warp and scrambled her fighters and split as well. Her commander, Commodore Varley, was doing double duty as he had recently lost his first officer in a failed negotiation with the Tholians. This was not a terrible concern for the upcoming battle, however, as his airwing would ultimately fall under the purview of Enterprise.

Picard stood on the bridge of Enterprise surveying the fleet. It was truly a strange armada, as it was made up of Starfleet, Vulcan, United Earth, Klingon, Andorian, Tellarite, and several Iconian ships which included Ha'tak, O'Neills, Astreaus, Auroras, and Techno-Hives. Standing out several kilometers away, he even saw a First Federation mining vessel. He glanced at a screen and saw that it was the Fesarius. He did a double take as he recognized the name from his great-grandfather's stories. Another look at the screen showed the commander as Balok IV, the great-grandson of Kirk's friend. Fitting, Picard thought.

He had no more time to think about trivial things as Martok reported that the cubes were approaching at high warp.

"Contact Thor, on the O'Neill, and ask him to take those vessels out of warp for us," Picard told his communications officer.

The Asgard vessel fired a blast from it's plasma beam and the five cubes dropped out of warp, one with a gaping hole through it. As Picard watched, however, the cube started repairing itself as it held back and let the other ships protect it. "All ships, this is Picard. Engage." With that the fleet lunged forward, all weapons blazing.

Enterprise-D2 darted forward at Martok's command and started tearing into the damaged ship with it's phaser lance, a weapon remarkably similar to the Asgard plasma beam, except for it's fine tuning ability. It followed up with a full spread of torpedoes.

Enterprise-D1, under Riker's command, moved off to the relative safety of the sidelines, and was guarded by Bozeman and Constellation. Picard was watching from the operations room, keeping an eye on the battle and directing strategies. One of the cubes was inching towards the saucer, as it had detected the communications from Picard directing the battle. When it got close enough, it transported a drone directly into the room. The drone was quickly blasted by a modulating automatic phaser in the ceiling, only to be replaced by two more. Then four until the Borg adapted. Several crewmembers tried to intervene, but found themselves thrown against the far wall and knocked unconscious. Picard grabbed a Bat'leth from the wall and used it to bisect one drone from head to toe, before another grabbed him around the neck, and transported out. Immediately, the cube took flight.

While Picard was being captured, the Enterprise-D1 opened up with phasers and antimatter cannons directed at the cube. However, it was for naught as the cube left before damage could truly set in.

On the other side of the battle, one of the remaining cubes had been blasted to drifting debris by continued plasma fire from O'Neill. Another one had been all but destroyed by Nathan Stark, a ship that had remained in service through several battles, much to Janus' delight.

The third and fourth cubes had been torn to shreds by wave after wave of fighters from techno-hives. The ships were incredibly quick, and were able to dodge Borg fire unpredictably. Added to the mix, was the Asgard plasma beams on board the hives. They were able to cut through the Borg shields like butter, but the deciding factor was the phaser cannons. They were able to fire pulse after pulse of modulating phasers, never on the same frequency. There were literally hundreds of such canons on the hives, and there were twelve hives sent by the Iconians. The battle was such that almost the only thing the Federation ships could do was stay out of the way as the field of fire from the Techno hives was so intense. When the hives approached the maximum rate of fire, space between them and the target became so saturated with weapons fire that sensors on both ships became useless. As well, a plasma field would form in the wake of the bolts. At such a point, the hive would need to slow down its rate of fire or risk igniting the plasma field.

The Federation fighters were dodging in and out of the battle right alongside their Iconian counterparts. The hives had been programmed to not hit Federation ships, as well as their own, so a couple of older Miranda class ships were flying similar to the fighters. Everything worked well, until one got too close to a Borg cube and was caught by a tractor beam. The cube, rather than suck the ship into it, flung it towards a rapidly accelerating Fesarius, which caught it in it's own tractor beam just in time. It eased it off to the side., then opened fire with a tool designed to rip asteroids to shreds. It caught some pieces of cube that were starting to repair themselves and blew them into microscopic particles.

One of the two cubes being thrashed by the hives decided to try another tack. It started moving unsteadily, but quickly accelerated through the most densely packed section of the battlefield. It acted like a bulldozer, destroying ship after ship with it's own superstructure. Saratoga, one of D's escort ships was caught by the cube and swept aside, it's life support failing. Soon after the collision, its warp core blew. Only thirty people of the three hundred person crew managed to escape in life boats. Another of the ships involved in a collision with the hive was a Ha'tak, commanded by Ishta, a female Jaffa of Teal'c's acquaintance.

Eight of the hives started following, two getting in front of the charging cube, breaking off chunk after chunk, which were quickly vaporized by the fighters. The last section from the center of the cube was blown open, and in it's place was a sphere, much smaller than the original cube. The Fesarius moved to intercept the sphere, and actually rammed the Borg vessel. Both ships were seriously damaged, and as each backed off from the collision, they started repairing themselves.

The collision damaged the sphere enough to where the fighters were able to get close enough to forestall any repairs the Borg might have in mind, and then it was finally blasted to rubble by a well placed shot from Yomato's phaser lance.

One of the Borg cubes was still relatively intact, relatively being the operative word. A massive section of the lower bow sector of the cube was sliced off. As well, massive patches of armor were missing. Three of the techno hives were surrounding it emitting a powerful dampening field suppressing the power systems while at the same time, firing their phaser cannons into the cube. They targeted the power systems and subspace communication arrays. The cube was dead and Iconian techno hives beamed aboard some teams.

"Spread out," Captain Allyson Martin called to the four teams. "Keep in constant contact and your armor sealed."

"Contacts!" a Lieutenant yelled. "Open fire!" Plasma and trinium bullets impacted the Borg drones seconds later. They quickly began adapting to the weapons fire until phaser beams caught them in a crossfire, cutting them down.

"Captain Martin," the massive form of Commander Worf introduced himself. He had been beamed aboard at Riker's order because of his experience with the Borg.

"Commander. Thank you for the assist," she said.

"Interesting armor," he replied.

"Thank you. It's a fourth generation body armor, able to defend against projectile and energy weapons." Worf looked closer and saw a fabric layer completely covered in plates of some kind. The joints had mechanical servos and he guessed correctly that the armor was powered. On both wrists were two different weapons. He had already seen blue plasma bolts and his sensors told him that the other was a phaser emitter.

Worf's musings were cut off when Martin was caught in a grappling match with a Borg. He watched shocked, as she seemed to punch through the drone, its body dissolving in the path of her fist. "My gloves generate an MBD field," she explained. "It's a somewhat scaled down version of our ships main weapons. Plus, I have a gravity field generator to amplify my mass on impact."

She demonstrated the abilities by grabbing a drone that tried to assimilate her and throwing it at a wall. Her gravity generators increased the drones mass without reducing its velocity. Worf was impressed when Allyson reached out her hand and the drone flew back at her. Seconds later it was crushed in what his HUD told him with a massive gravity field.

Worf was not alone in his examination of the others battletech. Allyson took note of Worf's HUD tied into his weapons status and tricorder. She also saw that his traditional klingon armor was actually a very advanced ablative armor that would even be able to resist her plasma repeaters for a time.

She was reminded of stories of Ronan Dex with his concealed weapons as her sensors picked up twelve knives, three phasers, two disruptors, two comm badges, and several other weapons that she didn't recognize on Worf's person.

The battle had ended, but one ship had gotten away, and with it was Picard, flag officer of the Federation. That vessel had to be either destroyed, or Picard had to be removed from it one way or another before the Borg could assimilate him.

The twelve hives were in fair shape after their battle with the cubes. They launched themselves into warp to pursue the remaining cube. Enterprise rejoined its parts, and entered warp as well. The cube was heading towards Earth. Part of the way there, it seemed to falter. It dropped out of warp for a moment, then resumed its journey, at even higher warp. O'Neill was travelling with Enterprise and detected a signal being transmitted by the cube at the same moment it resumed it's speed.

The trip to Earth took almost an hour, and as they exited warp over the planet, it became apparent that two more hives were in orbit. The cube started taking shot after shot, and began breaking up. On board Enterprise, Picard materialized on the bridge through a Borg transporter. He had been assimilated, and he grabbed the helm officer by the throat and bodily threw him into the viewscreen. Next, he started toward Riker, who ordered, "Take out that cube now!" over the comm to the other ships. Picard grabbed him by the throat, just as the techno hives blasted the cube into microscopic particles that would be raining down on Earth for several years.

Picard froze, completely immobile as his fingers dug into Riker's throat. Martok grabbed his bat'leth and neatly removed Picards hand from the end of his arm, thereby releasing the fingers. Quickly, sickbay transported him to surgery.

After the battle…

Teal'c walked into sickbay on board the D. He had transported over as soon as the battle was over. In one area, Picard was being operated on by his doctor, Crusher, but this was not what he was concerned with. He knew very well that Merlin would be alright, so he did not waste his time. He looked around and did not see who he was looking for, so he asked a nurse, who was tending to a Bolian ensign, "Where are the people who were transported from the remains of the Ha'tak?"

"They were transported directly from the shuttle bay to one of the other sickbays," she informed him.

"Which one?"

In response, she directed her voice to the computer. "Computer, beam Master Teal'c to Sickbay Four."

Teal'c watched as his eyesight blurred, and the people in the room around him shifted. Now, he saw several people that he recognized. The holographic doctor was tending to someone in surgery, and the Jaffa Master's breath caught as he realized it was Ishta. Teal'c walked to a spot where he could see the surgeon's progress as he was sealing a wound in the blonde Jaffa's side. From what Teal'c could see, something had probably punctured her left lung.

Teal'c observed the rest of the people in the sickbay, and saw that many were women who had worked and fought alongside Ishta for many years. He started when he heard the holographic doctor speak his name. "Master Teal'c? She will remain unconscious for quite some time, but she will recover fully. You may come back later, or if you would prefer, I'll have a chair placed beside her bed and you can wait there."

Teal'c inclined his head in acceptance, and as the chair materialized, he walked over to the bedside. He reached out and grasped her hand, and sat down. He realized that his eyes were tearing. How close had he come from losing her? He sat in that position for a long time, until he finally realized that she was gazing at him.

"Teal'c," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She tried to sit up, but he placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"Do not move, Ishta," he said, his voice tender. "You have been seriously injured, but the doctor has operated and informed me that you will be fine."

Ishta nodded, then asked, "How long have you been here?"

Teal'c was surprised when he realized how much time had passed. "It has been over two hours that you have been out of surgery."

"I see."

"I was quite concerned when I realized that it was your ship that was hit by the cube."

"Concerned, Teal'c?" she asked, a small smile on her face.

"Quite concerned," he said solemnly, but then his face broke into a small smile as well. "I determined that if you were still alive, I would never leave your side again."

"Are you proposing marriage, Teal'c?"

"Yes, Ishta, I am," he said, his smile widening.


	8. Chapter 8

After a time, things calmed down in Federation space. Picard had been freed of his Borg implants by Crusher and McCoy, and had gone to take a much needed rest in France with his brother's family.

He was sitting in the dining area soon after arriving, reading some notes from Dr. Jackson on Earth's history. He was getting involved in an interesting section which described a vessel crashing into what would eventually be called Puget Sound, near the north end of the future Bainbridge Island, when he heard a boy's voice from behind him. "Hello, Nephew!"

He carefully marked his place in the notebook and set it down. He turned his chair around and smiled broadly at the boy facing him. "Hello, Uncle. How are you today?"

"Im doing fine, Nephew. Father says you got into a pickle in your last battle."

"Well, Uncle. Your father was right. I most definitely was in a pickle, but my crew was able to get me out of it."

Picard's sister-in-law, Marie, came into the room just as her young son was asking, "Can you tell me about it?"

"Rene, let's not bother your uncle with questions right now, ok?"

The boy was ushered out of the room and when his mother re-entered, she apologized. "He's so inquisitive. I suppose that's not a bad thing, but he's not old enough to know when he should and shouldn't ask questions."

"Not to worry, I really don't mind. As a matter of fact, my doctor says I need to talk about it. Explain what it felt like." He chuckled a bit. "I know she has my best interests at heart, but sometimes, she can be so protective…" He broke off, and after a pause, finished lamely, "I'm sorry."

"Now it's your turn to not worry," she laughed.

Later that evening, after dinner, Rene again asked his uncle to tell him what happened. Marie made an abortive attempt to stop the boy, but Picard shook his head at her as the child sat down on the floor facing his uncle.

"You know, Uncle," the Admiral said to his nephew, continuing their running joke, "I have many other stories that would be much more interesting for you to hear."

"Ok, but you must promise to tell my about your latest pickle before you leave."

"Agreed," Picard said. He thought for a moment, then said, "Have I ever told you how your great-great-grandfather once had a visitor made of pure sound on his ship?"

Robert smiled as he heard his brother start one of the stories he had heard over and over from Kirk when he and his brother were children. He wasn't sure he believed the story, but Jean Luc had told him that he once looked up the particulars and found that it was indeed in the official records of Enterprise voyages at Starfleet.

Robert had appreciated Kirk's wit and storytelling ability as a child, but he just wasn't interested in Starfleet. He had listened politely, and as his brother was pulled farther and farther into the fascinating world of space travel, he became more firmly attached to Earth and specifically, France. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate what his great-grandfather had done, or what his brother was now doing. He just didn't see himself as an adventurer. Tending the vineyards was about as wild a time as he personally wanted to have. He tuned back into what Jean Luc was saying, just as he was finishing the story.

"... and Lieutenant Conners said he felt like he had never had such a fluent, musical partner," he finished.

"Is that really true, Nephew?" Rene asked suspiciously.

"On my honor as a Starfleet Admiral, it is, Uncle," Picard told him.

"It's about time for bed, Rene," Marie said.

The boy groaned, but went, muttering about adult conversations as he left the room.

Jean Luc turned to his brother. "He's a wonderful child, Robert."

"Yes, he is," Robert agreed, "and he wants to take after his 'nephew'."

Jean Luc laughed, then sobered. "How do you feel about it?"

"I'm fine. You know, after this latest Borg skirmish, it's not safe at home either. You said they got all the way to Earth orbit before they were destroyed?"

Picard nodded and turned introspective at the thought, and his brother noticed. "I know it's hard for you, Jean Luc, but you can't leave it bottled up inside."

"I know. And I do want to talk about it. They didn't have me for long, but I learned more about them in that hour than I would have ever thought possible." He tapped his head and explained, "I have more information about the Borg up here than I'll be able to go through in my lifetime." He thought for a moment about Merlin, and decided that his statement might not be completely accurate. "What they were intending to do with Earth. It was to become the center for Borg activity in the alpha quadrant. As they were invading my mind, I could sense their plans. They had no reason to hide anything from me as they thought I couldn't fight them." He paused, then said soberly. "They were right. I was transported back to Enterprise and I tried to kill one of my best friends."

"Not you, Jean Luc. It wasn't you who tried to kill Riker. It was the Borg. You were just a tool to them," Robert tried to sooth his younger brother.

"I don't understand something," Marie said. When she saw that both men were looking at her, she continued. "Why do the Borg insist that everyone else must be assimilated? Why don't they leave other people alone?"

Robert looked to Jean Luc. "I'm assuming that misery loves company?" he said.

"Not exactly," the Starfleet officer said. "The Borg are driven by their own relentless sense of perfection. They believe that they will achieve that perfection at some point, and when they do, they will be fulfilled. Because of that, they think that those people that they assimilate against their will will thank them when perfection is achieved. Not that they care about something that they consider to be trivial, like thanks."

"This is what you gleaned from being assimilated yourself?" Robert asked.

"Only a very small part of what I gleaned," Jean Luc answered.

The Borg...

On the far side of Cardassian space, ten Borg cubes dropped out of warp. They were exceedingly large ships, each containing several, much smaller Borg craft. These, they launched towards Cardassian space for reconnaissance. They had analyzed the telemetry from the battle at Wolf 359, and had decided that what was needed was to take the home of the techno hives.

As well, the collective sent eighteen cubes to the position of the sphere, now known throughout Federation space as Iconia Prime. They sat outside the effective weapons range of the sphere's main batteries, and fired. With a structure the size of the sphere, it is literally impossible to miss. An enemy has only to drop missiles, and they will hit. To force the Iconians to capitulate, however, the Borg analyzed their targets before shooting. They knew they would inflict large amounts of damage, but it could be repaired once they assimilated it.

Inside the sphere, a supergate was activated. This gate was three times the size of the largest gate the Ori had ever built, even at the height of their power. Once the gate was brought online, asteroids started emerging from it. Once remolecularized, they were caught by tractor beams and compressed into a material much smaller and denser. They were then moved to mass accelerators with three additions to their mass. They had phase generators, naquadah, and potassium added. They were now very effective warheads.

In the mass accelerators, they were fired at seventy five percent light speed. Using a standard Iconian battle tactic, they were immediately placed out of phase with the Borg ships until they passed through the shields. They then returned to normal phase, in time to decimate the superstructure of the cubes. All eighteen Borg vessels were destroyed within moments.

A month later, the Borg attacked again, sending twice as many cubes. As the Federation had predicted, the Borg had adapted to the phasing warheads. This time, however, the mass accelerators were not employed as the primary defense of the sphere. Instead, the techno hives were used. The cubes were not capable of shielding against the millions of different frequencies the hives and sphere used for their phaser cannons. Each cannon was designed to fire at a different frequency, and to never repeat during the course of a battle. Of course, some frequencies were so close together, that once the Borg adapted to one, another several were severely hampered as well, but the sheer volume of bolts which made it through the shields was enough to cause damage. Once damaged, gravity asserted itself, and the cubes started dropping towards the sphere. The deciding factor against the Borg was that the sphere had the power of a star at its disposal for reinforcing shields and firepower. The sphere sustained some damage to it's outer shell, but just as the Borg adapted to each attack against them, Sarah was using the same tactic. Each cell of the sphere had a complete duplicate of the sphere's computer core. This amounted to a hive mind similar to the Borg, without the limitations of biological components. Each of the millions of cells which formed the sphere worked together to defend against the Borg attack, and were able to keep them at bay.

At Starfleet Command…

Jean Luc Picard stepped out of the turbolift and strode purposefully toward the detention center. He was being asked to do this because he had been assimilated. Several drones had been found on board the wreckage of the cube that three of the hives had destroyed. However, only one drone had lived long enough to receive medical attention.

Picard met up with Kirk outside the detention area. "Good Morning, Sir," he said, more upbeat than he felt.

Kirk looked suspiciously at his great grandson, then said, "I can guess how you must feel right now, Jean Luc. You don't have to put any airs on for my benefit."

Picard nodded, "No, I don't suppose I do, Admiral. I do not enjoy the thought of doing this, but I understand the necessity."

Kirk smiled slightly and said, "In the unaltered universe, your grandfather was killed by Klingons when he was in his late twenties. We didn't know that he had had a daughter, or the relationship between you and me. Several years after David's death, I was conscripted into hosting the Klingons for peace negotiations between the Empire and the Federation.

"For you, your individualism was stripped away, for however short a time, and your own knowledge was taken by the Borg to be used against the Federation, and you are now being asked to interrogate one of those Borg drones. I can imagine you feel somewhat like I did in the other universe, playing host to those who had taken so much from me."

Kirk's words gave rise to questions in Picard's mind about what his great grandfather remembered of his life in the alternate reality. He filed those away in his mind for later discussion, and simply nodded in acknowledgement of Kirk's speculation on his feelings. Then he asked, "Before I go in there, Admiral, what are my limits? How much can I offer her?"

"Bones and Crusher have already removed most of her implants. My understanding is that 82% of them were able to be removed. Both doctors agree that to try to remove more would seriously undermine her ability to function properly. As to what you can offer her, and what you can do, I'm leaving that entirely up to you, Jean Luc. You have complete control in this project, and what you decide will be the end of it. If you think she will be unresponsive, then on your decision, she will be transferred to a penal colony for the rest of her natural life."

"I see," Picard said. He regarded his great grandfather a few moments, then asked, "Permission to speak freely, Sir?"

Kirk's eyebrows went up, as Picard rarely asked for such a concession, but he nodded.

"I have no idea what will happen when I enter that room, Sir. The drone may respond to 'Locutus', as my Borg designation was to be, or it may know very well that I am not a Borg. However, I honestly believe that there is little to be gained by questioning this drone. I will do what you ask, Sir, but I want you to understand that I believe it to be a lost cause."

Kirk nodded, "But you will do your best, Jean Luc. That's why I'm glad it's you who are the logical choice to go in that room. Because rather than just giving it a token try, you will give a real one."

"Certainly. While I think it to be a lost cause, I understand that I could be wrong, so I will give it every chance to succeed."

Kirk smiled and gestured to the door. "Shall we?"

Picard held up his hand, "Sir, if I am to have complete freedom in this project, I believe the best possible chance of this working will require that I enter this room alone."

Kirk was taken aback, but he did not argue. "Very well. I leave it in your capable hands, Jean Luc."

With that, he smiled graciously and turned to head back to his office. Picard turned to face the door, pulled his shirt down to remove the wrinkles, and typed in his authorization code to open the door.

It parted, revealing the cells beyond. He stepped through and saw that the only prisoner in this cell block was the borg drone. He turned to the guard and ordered, "Wait outside."

The guard faltered for a moment, but he read Picard's rank and knew that he had full discretion in this matter, as well as the Commander of Starfleet's ear and bloodline. He didn't argue, but simply took up a position outside the cell block and shut the door.

Picard stepped up to the active force field. The girl standing inside had extremely short, blonde hair. It appeared as though it had just started growing again, after who knows how long of being suppressed. There were several skin grafts on various parts of her body, and she was covered with a hospital gown. Her left eye had a patch over it so that the optic nerves had a chance to regenerate. She was seated at the foot of the bed, facing away from him.

" You are but a child ," he said crisply. She turned to face him, and stood unsteadily.

"Locutus," she said, her voice flat and unemotional. "This drone's implants have been removed, so it did not sense you standing there."

"I too have had implants removed," he said to her. "I am unable to contact the collective. What can you tell me of the collective plans for returning here?"

"This drone does not understand," she said, somewhat confused. "You were connected to the collective when this drone went offline. You have more current information."

"When my cortical node was removed, part of my memory storage was damaged. I do not have the required information."

"The memory storage of this drone is not damaged, but the information only extends to the moment it went offline in the battle. No more information from the collective exists past that point. There are several individual memories unconnected to the collective, but they are irrelevant."

"They are not irrelevant, because when you rejoin the collective, your individual memories will become part of the collective."

"That is illogical," the drone replied. "When an individual is assimilated, the memories remaining are irrelevant. This drone's individual memories since it's disconnect from the collective are irrelevant. If you believe differently, perhaps there was more damage to your memory storage than you at first believed."

"You are incorrect," Picard said. "Locutus was made to facilitate the assimilation of many individual minds in the Federation. Obviously the collective sees the memories and experiences of an individual as important. Because of that, I understand how an individual's memories and experiences can affect the collective. I am setting a task for you while you are disconnected from the collective. You are to record your experiences as an individual and analyze them. We will discuss them each day to place them in their proper perspective. Is that understood?"

"Understood, Locutus."

"For the duration," Picard continued, "you shall refer to yourself as 'I' and 'me' instead of 'this unit'. Your body is that of a young female human. To help facilitate you in your task, you shall use the human terms associated with individuality for such a body."

"I understand, Locutus," she acknowledged.

"The Federation needs to perceive the collective as not destroying all that they believe themselves to be. As such, you will use your human name, as well. Your body was originally known as Annika Hansen. You will use that designation for the duration."

"Acknowledged," she said. "How will I acquire information to assist you if I am to remain here?"

He thought fast. "Acquire information in this detention center. The restriction of freedom is something the Borg must understand from an individual's point of view."

"Acknowledged," she said again.

"I will return to speak to you this evening."

"Acknowledged."

Several minutes later, Picard was back on D, talking with Beverly Crusher in her office. "I knew it would be difficult, but I was not aware just how much. That girl has been a Borg since she was a small child. She had not even been removed from her maturation chamber! I was a Borg for close to an hour. How am I supposed to relate to her at all?"

"I don't know, Jean Luc. I wish I could help…" Her voice trailed off.

He reach out and took her hand. "Beverly, what is wrong?"

She didn't answer for a long moment. "I took the opportunity to have my annual physical while we were here. Doctor Selar ran the tests twice." She paused for a moment, then plunged on. "I have the beginnings of Irumodic Syndrome. It's not effecting me right now, but it will eventually. I won't be able to keep my position much longer."

"Irumodic Syndrome? But I thought that was something that only affected the elderly," he exclaimed.

"Before the augment virus, it was primarily a disease of the elderly, but studies are now showing that people are five times as likely to develop the syndrome, and it seems to be striking much earlier in life as well."

"I see," he said. His mind was swimming as he thought through all the things he had supposed he would do with this woman, but later, after they both had good, long careers in Starfleet. Now, he realized that this would not be the case. He knew that later in life, he would become Q, and would have the ability to heal Beverly. He wondered about the morals of such an intervention and whether he had that right. Of course, in Beverly's life, how many people had she healed with her skills? He decided that healing someone was one thing, but bringing them back to life after they had been dead for many years was another. That being the case, when he thought about the time he would have, the billions of years he would live, but be alone he realized that this was a quandary that he could not solve for now.

The next day, he stepped into Beverly's office to find her packing. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm packing, Jean Luc. I've resigned my commission. I'm not going to be able to function as the chief medical officer of the Enterprise-D. I figured I'd opt for the change now, when I realize what I'm doing."

"Beverly," he began and stopped. He looked out at Sickbay, then at her again, then he sat down heavily. "Beverly," he started again and stopped.

She put one finger on his lips, then leaned in to kiss him. He was shocked at her action, but it gave him resolve. "I love you, Beverly," he said when they separated. "I would be willing to resign my commission and spend our remaining time with you."

She nodded, "I know you would, Jean Luc, but you have an incredible career ahead in Starfleet. You belong here."

"Would you consider remaining here, on Enterprise, as my wife?" He saw the look in her eyes, and said, "This is not pity, Beverly. I always expected that we would have time, later in life. Now I find that this is not to be, and I realize that…" he faltered and stopped.

She was looking closely at his face. There were tears in his eyes, and she knew what he wanted to say. "I love you too, Jean Luc," she said as the tears started to fall from her own eyes. "I always have."

"Then stop packing, Beverly," he urged. "Let's spend the remaining time together."

She considered for a long moment. She knew he was being honest when he denied that his statements were borne of pity. He was too honorable a man for that. She looked into his eyes and saw how urgently he wanted her to remain. "Alright," she said. "I'll stay."

He sighed with relief. "Then I can tell Riker that you're not leaving," he said raising his hand to tap his communicator.

"No," she said. "I'll stay with you, but I don't think I should be practicing medicine anymore. It's a hard decision, Jean Luc, but I would need to be supervised at all times, and I don't think I would like that very much."

He turned and nodded, understanding her decision. Then he took her in a protective embrace. It was an embrace that lasted for a very long time.

The next morning, he went to see the borg. She was slowly becoming acclimated to being referred to as Annika Hansen, or Miss Hansen, but each time he used her name, he saw a tiny twitch in her facial muscles. It wasn't much, but he was getting to know her well enough to see it. "How are you today, Annika?" he asked as he strode into the detention area.

"I am… well," she said, struggling to use the human term. She had at her beck and call the language of Federation Standard, but she found it imprecise. 'Well' as an adjective describing her condition left too many variables. "Locutus," she said, curious about his feelings on the subject. "I find the human method of communication to be inexact. To say I am 'well' does not convey the actual condition of my physical and mental makeup."

"That is true, Annika, however among humans that are not part of the collective, this wording is used for convenience sake. While among the collective, a drone's condition may be conveyed exactly in a matter of nanoseconds through the link, to attempt to convey the same information verbally would take several hours, and the individual may not even know their exact condition. This is not practical for most situations one might find oneself in, therefore, the term 'well' is used to indicate that the individual is functioning adequately to take part in most activities, including general conversation."

After his talk with Annika, Picard returned to D. Over dinner with Beverly, he explained his conversations with the Borg drone. "Each time she makes a discovery that we take for granted as individuals, it seems as though it comes easier," he told her. "She is like a child that is constantly asking questions. Why is the sky blue? Why does a hot stove burn my finger? But with her, she knows the scientific answers. What she constantly needs answers to are the social questions. Why do you people fall in love? What can be discerned about your mood when your voice shakes. These are the same questions that a human child would learn by observation of people. It plainly shows the limitations of the Borg collective."

"I agree, Jean Luc, that the Borg collective is limited, but wouldn't they see the limitations you are pointing out as strengths?"

"Yes, they do, and that is their greatest limitation. They do not understand what they are missing." He paused and his expression grew somber. "But for the life of me, at this moment I cannot see how we can use that against them."

She nodded. "While it's a huge limitation, it doesn't seem like a liability, does it?" She paused for a long moment. "Has Will found a replacement for me yet?"

He took a deep breath and then sighed. He had been dreading her asking this question. "Yes," he acknowledged. "Dr. Allison Carter. She's been studying with Starfleet medical, under Admiral McCoy for quite some time. She's an Iconian, and I understand Bones recommends her highly."

She giggled a bit as she said, "I don't think I've ever heard anyone call Doctor McCoy 'Bones' except Admiral Kirk."

"I have known the good Doctor since I was knee high to a grasshopper," he laughed. "I used to hear my great-grandfather tell stories of how they first met. He was 'Bones' to the Admiral from the very beginning of their friendship. I only started calling him by his name when I joined Starfleet."

"It must have been exciting growing up at the Admiral's knee, hearing the stories of the glory days of Starfleet," she said, teasing him somewhat, but also genuinely admiring of the way he had been raised. "Regarding Doctor Carter, I know her quite well. We worked together on the Klingon / Vulcan hybridization project."

"Hybridization project?" Picard asked.

"It's an idea that some Klingon scientists originally came up with. A couple of Vulcan healers came on board, and then it hit starfleet medical. Interestingly, Vulcan and Klingon DNA is quite compatible and since they share the same world, it was thought that a full blending would help them to become one people."

"Surely they aren't injecting Klingon DNA into Vulcans and vice versa," Picard said, shocked. He couldn't imagine a Klingon allowing that to be done.

"Oh no," she said. "Whenever two different species procreate, there are inherent problems that crop up. Sometimes things go without a hitch, but usually, DNA has to be manipulated a bit. What we're trying to do is minimize the hitches and hiccups. In several years, there would be enough blending of the DNA that the problems would be so far apart as to not matter. We're just helping things along in that regard."

"So you are helping infinite diversity diversify," he commented.

"Exactly!"


	9. Chapter 9

With their defeat at Iconia Prime, the Borg regrouped outside Cardassian space, and began focusing their attention on the Cardassian Empire and Ferengi Alliance. They were actually able to assimilate a fair amount of both races.

The Federation kept a wary eye on their activities, and offered their assistance to both races. The Ferengi at first refused, but as Captain Data surmised, someone must have found a way to turn a profit from the assistance, and the Alliance came running.

The Cardassians, however, refused all Federation overtures of assistance, claiming rather that they would fight their own battles, thank you very much.

D was assigned to the Cardassian border, keeping a careful eye on Borg activity with long range sensors. Her battle group was present as well. Qan was a few light years away, watching a different sector of Cardassian space, while also taking readings on a neutron star in the vicinity, while Bozeman, Saratoga, and Constellation made a very public show of patrolling the border.

"Incoming message, Captain," Worf announced. He had recently been promoted to D's Battle Captain. Martok had been promoted to Commodore, and placed in charge of a purely battle fleet, headed by bortaS. In his wing, he had five Klingon designed destroyers, which were kept in a constant state of readiness by practicing tactics, much like Terran attack submarines during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.

"Onscreen," Riker ordered. He stood and pulled down his uniform top automatically. Seeing the seal of Starfleet appear on the screen, Riker tapped his comm badge and said, "Admiral Picard to the Bridge."

"Captain Riker," Kirk said from the screen as his image appeared there. "How are things on the Cardassian Border?"

"Extremely quiet, Admiral," Riker said, smiling. He turned to the lift as Picard stepped onto the bridge.

"Well, there's a very good chance we can liven things up for you a bit. How'd you like to engage in a search?"

Picard and Riker glanced at each other, and Picard said slowly, "I take it, Admiral, that what we are to search for is quite important?"

"Yes, Jean Luc, it is. I'd like you to swing by Iconia Prime where you will be joined by the O'Neill and the Daniel Jackson. Your escort will remain on station, and Thor will brief you on your search after you leave Iconia Prime." He paused before continuing. "This is top priority, gentlemen. I know that sounds strange for a search, but it's of the utmost importance."

When Enterprise-D arrived at Iconia Prime, O'Neill and Daniel Jackson were waiting for them. D had just dropped to Sublight when O'Neill signalled that they were ready to leave. They transmitted the course to D and all three ships jumped to warp. Once they were on their way, Thor, Jack O'Neill, Sam, Jackson, Vala, Jack Carter and Teal'c transported to the D. A couple of minutes later, Eli and the twins transported aboard from the Daniel Jackson. The group met with Picard, Riker, Allison, and Worf in the briefing room just off the bridge.

Picard was seated with Riker and Worf at the head of the table. The rest of the group was seated around the table. O'Neill took the initiative and explained, "We are going to a planet on the edge of Romulan space. There, we are going to meet up with an old friend. He's going to help us out…"

"He's being compelled to help us out," Jackson said under his breath.

"But he will help us out, Daniel. Don't be such a pessimist. That's my job." He turned back to Picard. "Sam has some interesting information, and with the Borg threat, we thought having Avalon back would be a good thing."

"What is Avalon?" Riker asked.

"Daniel, help me out here. I never could do a lecture like this."

"Sure, Jack." Daniel stood up and motioned to the monitor on the wall.. With a thought, he placed an image of the ship there. "Visuals, Jack. You need good visuals." We walked to the monitor and indicated what, for all intents and purposes, was a Starfleet space station.

"This is Avalon," he said. "It is a station, but it contains a warp drive, Alteran hyperdrive, and some of the most advanced weaponry you're likely to see in a long time."

"A station with a warp drive?" Riker asked.

"It's not just a normal station, Captain," Allison said smiling.

"No," Jackson said. He looked at the screen, and a scale appeared beside the station. It was a dot until the image zoomed in to show D in detail. It then zoomed out again to show all of Avalon. "The station is capable of housing two complete city ships within it's spacedock area. You can actually fly Atlantis through the space doors."

Picard looked at the twins seated smugly across the table from him. "Why do I get the impression that you two are responsible for this?"

"We may have had a wee bit to do with it," Scotty said.

"Maybe somewhat more than a wee bit," LaForge corrected.

"What kind of warp drive is capable of moving that thing?" Riker asked.

"The warp drive is pretty big, alright," LaForge said, "But there's a lot more to her than just a massive power plant."

"When the rest of the Iconians left our timeline, Avalon got… misplaced." Jackson said lamely. "Sam tracked it for quite a ways, so the Q left on Iconia Prime had a pretty good idea where it had gone, but Sam lost it because of the fluctuations in the powers of the Q."

"By the time we realized how much power we had lost, it was too far gone to follow, since we couldn't enter hyperspace," she explained, "plus Merlin told us that it would be alright. I know it was travelling somewhat in the general direction of the center of the galaxy, but the center of the galaxy is a pretty big place."

"That much is certain," Worf agreed. "So how is this 'old friend' going to help?"

"It turns out that some of our people were separated in time from the general populace when our ships came forward in time. Harry Mayborne, an old acquaintance… Perhaps friend just isn't the right word. Harry Mayborne became a trader in your time. He goes by the name of Harry Mudd now," O'Neill explained

"Harry Mudd is an Iconian?" Picard asked, incredulous.

"Unfortunately," Teal'c said with a grimace.

"He knows better than to cross me," O'Neill said, reassuringly.

"He knew better than to cross Admiral Kirk too, but he continued to try," Picard said, reminding everyone of Mudd's character.

"Yes," Jackson said, "But Admiral Kirk wasn't a Q at the time he was dealing with Harry."

"That is true," Picard said. "So how can Harry help us? Surely if he knew the whereabouts of Avalon, the sky would be the limit for his price."

"Yes, it would. He doesn't know, so far as we can determine, but he does know his way around Urrobafv, which is a popular watering hole for smugglers and traders on Narvasam, the planet we are headed to," Jackson told him.

"So you are hoping to find someone in Urrobafv who will be able to tell you where Avalon is? That seems like something they wouldn't want to be sharing."

"We're hoping that we might find someone who can tell stories that might point us in the proper direction," Jack Carter explained.

"You're basing your finding Avalon on stories and myths?" Riker asked, incredulous.

"That's how we found Atlantis," Jackson pointed out.

"If we had Avalon, it would go a long way towards defeating the Borg," Sam said.

"Why do you need our help in finding it," Picard wanted to know.

"You know this time period," Thor said simply.

"So does Mudd," Worf growled.

"Yes, but we trust you," O'Neill said smiling.

"Admiral," Scotty said, "We also have a few more trinkets for D."

"What have you got in mind?"

"We have a complete Asgard computer core, substantially miniaturized, but capable of the same things as the core on either the O'Neill or Daniel Jackson," Thor said.

"I understand that your science officer past away recently," Samantha added. "We have an experienced Asgard exchange officer who would like to offer his services in that regard. He served for several years on board the Terran ship, Deadalus, before the Iconian Alliance came into being."

Picard turned to Riker. "That's your call, Will. If you want to give it a try, I'll support you."

"I think it would be a wonderful idea. Dr. Carter has been working out great and I think an Iconian science officer would be equally as valuable," Riker stated.

"Just to let you know, Captain Riker, Hermiod can be… well… Hard to get along with at first," Sam stated.

"Lassy," Scotty said dryly, "you've said a mouthful there!"

Later, Hermiod and his computer system were beamed to Enterprise from the Daniel Jackson. He was an impressive figure of two meters, and an air of self confidence that almost permeated the air around him. He immediately went about networking the core with the multitronic unit on board Enterprise.

While they were en route, Thor requested a sparring match with Worf. He had been training with Cameron Mitchell in the fighting style of the Sodan warriors. As well, he had studied with Eli, learning the fighting style of Bantos. He had seen Worf fighting with Teal'c, and the fact that he had held his own against the Jaffa made him wonder how long he himself would last against the Klingon. When he had his cloned body, he would never have even tried to learn a fighting style. Now, he was actively trying to live up to the legend he had cultivated among the humans on any number of worlds throughout the galaxy.

The Klingon graciously accepted the challenge. Most older Starfleet vessels had holodecks, but on D it was decided to make quarters larger, and put a small holosuite into each cabin. Thus, the living area of each stateroom was fully configurable through holotechnology. Each crew member could have whatever environment they chose to live in. These holosuites could be linked to each other, allowing crew members to interact within a program. At the appointed time, Thor entered one of the guest staterooms and started it's holosuite. He found himself standing in the Roman Coliseum on Earth, and as he looked around, Worf appeared on the other side of the arena. The stands were beginning to fill up and Thor was amused to see that many of the Enterprise crew chose to wear traditional Roman garb. The two combatants strode to the center of the arena and saluted each other. "It is an honor to face you, Worf," Thor said.

Worf nodded, then answered, "Very few people get to face Thor, the god of thunder in battle. The honor is mine." They then turned to face the Emperor's Box. Picard was seated there, along with Riker. They were both wearing their Federation dress uniforms, but beside Picard, Beverly Crusher was wearing flowing Roman garments. Riker's wife, Deanna, was similarly attired.

Worf and Thor saluted the four in the box, then faced each other. At Picard's shouted, "Begin!" they started circling each other. For some time, neither seemed willing to start the fight, then, as if at some unspoken signal, both swung their weapons. Worf's heavy bat' leth came crashing down on Thor's only slightly lighter Viking sword. Thor was ready, however, and his hammer was in his other hand. He swung it, and Worf's armored arm came up to deflect the blow. The sound from the impact was deafening, and before the echo could die away, Worf had swung his bat'leth again, one handed. He swung around in a complete circle, letting the centrifugal force carry the blade out in a deadly arc. Thor bent backwards, letting the blade of the Klingon weapon take a bit of his beard off, but managing to come away otherwise unscathed. He knew the Klingon had anticipated connecting with, if nothing else, his sword, and took the opportunity created by Worf having to stop the blade to swing his own upward. The Klingon's heavy arm was again directly in the path of the Viking sword, and sparks flashed as the blade contacted the metal of Worf's armor.

The fight continued for some time, with neither gaining an upper hand. Worf's early move, leaving himself open to attack was not repeated. It seemed as though he had done it deliberately, testing the Asgard. Now, however, he showed his skill and matched the huge viking blow for blow.

After a time, though, Worf took a chance, and it paid off. Up till now, he had been fighting in a generally defensive style. Now, he took an advantage that he suspected might be a trap. He was ready for the possibility, and when the trap was sprung, he was prepared. He deflected Thor's deadly blow, and at the same time, reached in and grabbed the Viking's forearm. He pulled Thor into him, and onto his blade. The fight was over in an instant. As the two combatants were not in the same physical room, the sword that would have killed the Asgard had they been, was phased out by the holosuite safety protocols.

Thor looked down at the Bat'leth apparently sticking through his chest, threw back his head and laughed. "Excellent, Worf! I concede the fight to you!"

Worf nodded, and withdrew his blade. Then he smiled. The adrenaline had been running through him, and he was panting, but as he calmed, he saluted the Asgard in the Klingon style. "It was an honor, Thor. You are a formidable warrior, and I salute you."

It was then that the two registered the cheers. They turned and faced the crowd, and as they listened to what the crowd was screaming, they heard just as many people shouting for Thor as were shouting for the Klingon.

In the Emperor's box, Riker was cheering for both of the combatants, but secretly, he was quite happy that Worf had won. Not that he didn't like the Asgard. Actually, over the last nine years, he had grown quite fond of him, but the Asgard science officer had not made a favorable impression with him. The Starfleet captain had no doubts that Hermiod was highly intelligent, and would be an asset to the ship, but for him to actually tell Riker that he had looked over D's record and he knew that he would improve the science department… Riker was very glad that the Asgard had been taken down a mark by the Klingon.

Picard was on his way to his quarters, accompanied by Beverly, when his head started to spin, and he nearly collapsed. Beverly helped to steady him, and he leaned against a bulkhead. His vision blurred and he saw a man's face. The man had white hair, and a scar, and he spread his arms wide as he seemed to welcome a wall of energy descending on him from the sky.

Then, Picard was standing watching his nephew approaching him. His nephew that somehow, though he stood before him, was dead in this time line. Then he saw his great-grandfather chopping wood, but they didn't know each other. Certainly, Picard knew him by reputation, but Kirk didn't know him at all.

Suddenly, Picard was back on D, with a worried Beverly looking at his face anxiously. A medical crew was approaching, and Picard tried to wave them off, but another wave of dizziness hit him and he slumped against the wall again. He felt himself being lifted but all he could see were images of his life that wasn't his. He saw Beverly, Riker, Data and Worf playing poker at the same table over and over. Worf dressed as a sheriff of the ancient west... Data sitting beside him in some kind of dune buggy closing a box on his own face... He saw himself with professor Galen's former student, Vash. She was dressed in old English clothing while he was dressed in Lincoln Green... Worf claiming not to be a merry man... Riker looking at him from the Enterprise bridge with a blonde woman as his first officer... The images were assaulting with not a break between them.

Dimly, he realized that he was being lifted onto a diagnostic bed in sickbay, and that Dr. Carter was leaning over him, examining him, but he kept seeing images from another life. After several minutes, the dizziness ended and he was able to sit up.

"Can you tell me what happened, Admiral?" Allison asked.

He was pretty sure he understood what had just transpired, but whether she would believe him was another thing, but then again, given who her husband was, she just might. "I was seeing things happen in my life that have never happened to me, as if I was living through another version of myself's life."

"Well, I can't find anything wrong with you, Admiral," Allison declared. As he started to rise, she placed a hand on his chest to keep him there. "That's not to say there's nothing wrong with you, Sir. I think you should rest here."

"Doctor, I assure you I will be ok. Dr. Crusher will be with me if there are any more episodes like what I've just experienced."

Allison looked at Beverly, but before she could say anything the intercom beeped and Riker's voice came over it. "Doctor Jackson is on his way to sickbay, Doctor." Before Riker could finish, there was a flash by the entrance to sickbay and Daniel Jackson was standing there.

"Hello, Allison, Dr. Crusher, Admiral Picard. I think I can probably shed some light on what has happened to you, sir."

Picard propped himself up on his elbows, while Beverly rushed to get him some pillows. "I am not sick," he declared as she placed them behind him. "As a matter of fact, I believe I shall never be again, am I correct, Dr. Jackson?"

"Well," he said, "There are illnesses that affect the Q, but they are very specialized, and exceedingly rare."

"So I'm right. I've become Q now."

"Yes, Sir. Because you have passed the time in the original time line when you became Q, you are now Q in this timeline as well."

"Explain," Picard ordered crisply.

"A Q's creation is a fixed point in time, so since the Picard from the original reality has been in the nexus, you are a Q as well. You are seeing things from your perspective in the other timeline, and your mind is merging them together."

"I think I would like some time to absorb this. Would you excuse me as I go to my quarters for some rest?"

"Certainly, Sir," Jackson said. He had expected as much.

Beverly started to accompany him, but stopped. "Do you want me to stay here, Jean Luc?"

He shook his head. "If you don't mind acting as a sounding board for my feelings on this matter, I would appreciate your company, Beverly."

She smiled and took his elbow, and they left sickbay together.

There was a flash right after the door closed, and Jack Carter was standing beside Allison. "Well, how'd it go?"

"If you were monitoring, why do you need to ask?" Allison asked him, playfully punching him in the side.

"I wasn't monitoring. When Daniel and I left the O'Neill, I just made sure I'd appear after Picard left the room."

"It was what I expected," Daniel answered, looking at the door Picard had left through. "You arrived about three minutes after I did. He left to think about things right after I confirmed what had happened."

In Picard's cabin…

Picard was seated on one of the armchairs in his cabin. Across from him, Beverly was on a sofa. In front of Picard was a tray with two cups of tea and a teapot. Beverly reached out and picked her cup up as he explained what he had seen. "It was fascinating. I saw my life completely different. Most of the same people were here, but Wesley was an acting ensign, Data was our ops officer, and Martok was high chancellor of the Klingon Empire."

"Martok? You know, now that you say that, I can imagine it. He'd be a good chancellor."

"Yes," Picard replied. "I believe he would."

"What you're describing, Jean Luc, about seeing things from a lifetime that you haven't lived… I had a dream about that awhile back."

"Really?" he asked. "When?"

"Right after I tested positive for Irumodic Syndrome. You don't think…" Her voice trailed off.

"You were never in the Nexus, Beverly."

"You weren't in this timeline either, Jean Luc."

"Have you run the tests for Irumodic syndrome again?"

"No, I haven't. Computer," she ordered crisply.

"Working," it responded immediately.

"Run a scan for Irumodic syndrome on my body."

"That type of computer access requires level…"

"Computer," Picard ordered, "on my authority, run the scan."

"Acknowledged," the computer said. "There are no abnormalities in the brain of Beverly Crusher which are consistent with irumodic syndrome."

Beverly started to order another scan, but stopped. She looked at Picard who ordered, "Computer, you will grant Beverly Crusher all medical access on my authority to continue indefinitely."

"Acknowledged," The computer replied.

Beverly smiled and grasped Picard's hand across the table. "Computer, compare my last scan which showed irumodic syndrome with the scan you just made. Explain the differences."

"In your last scan, irumodic syndrome was a certainty. The structures in your brain that would cause the problem are no longer present in the new scan."

"Why?" Picard asked.

"Unknown," the computer answered.

Picard looked around the room. "I can sense a Q here, other than us." At his use of the term us, Beverly's head snapped towards him. "Come out, please."

There was a flash of light and Janus was standing in the room. He came over and sat down, uninvited in another armchair at the coffee table. A cup of tea appeared, and he picked it up.

"Janus," Picard fumed. "Why am I not surprised that it's you who is here?"

"Because we have a connection between us, all three of us in fact," Janus answered.

Picard sighed. "Alright, Janus. Answer me this: Is Beverly Q?"

"Yes, Jean Luc. She is."

"How?"

"You made her a Q, mon Capitan. You have to ask?"

"You're a few ranks out of date, Janus," Beverly pointed out. "Jean Luc hasn't been a Captain for quite some time."

"I know, but 'Mon Capitan' just has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"No," Beverly said. "I think Jean Luc deserves his rank, and you're disrespecting him is getting tiring."

Surprisingly, Janus became serious. "Very well. I am sorry for all the disrespect I've shown you over the years, Admiral. You didn't deserve it, and I was wrong."

Picard snorted as he said, "I'm sorry, Janus. I know you have supposedly changed from the person who tormented us for so long, but I find it hard to believe."

"I understand, Admiral. What can I say to show you that I have actually changed?"

"Perhaps explaining why you tormented him would go a long way."

Janus eyed Beverly, and shook his head. "I get the feeling that you probably wouldn't believe me if I were to tell you."

"Try me," Picard said sternly.

"Very well, Jean Luc, but don't say I didn't warn you. I know your response will be, 'Absolutely not!' You see, much of what I told you about the Q in the past, was not true. I have told you we were omnipotent and omniscient. We're not."

"Obviously, because if the Q were omniscient, you would have understood humans much better than you have."

"True, although in my own defense, I must say that I actually do understand humans better than I let on."

"So," Picard said, cutting him off, "in saying that you weren't truthful, you haven't told me anything I didn't already know."

Janus smiled, then said, "No, I didn't. The fact is, Jean Luc, that most Q have not always been Q. In fact, very few of us are born this way."

"So you used to be human?" Picard asked, skeptical.

"Oh, no. I was born Q, as was one of my sisters, however, our parents were not born Q," he said, looking back and forth between the two.

Picard eyed him for a moment, then suddenly realized what Janus was getting at. "No, absolutely not! I will not believe it! I am not your father!"

"You see," Q said almost gleefully, "I knew that would be your reaction!" He sobered then and said, "Denying it will not change what is true, Jean Luc."

"If you're my son, why would you torment the Enterprise all these years?"

"Isn't it obvious? I rebelled! I got tired of your pompous, sanctimonious, self-righteous arrogance, and I decided to teach you a lesson! I always felt that you treated me in such a way that if I didn't behave like a little you, I was wrong! Wesley and Maribor were always treated with respect, but I never got any from you!"

"Who is Maribor?" Beverly asked.

"Wesley's and my sister. Well… Wesley's half sister. The point is, I wasn't a military man. I was a scientist and your son, but I felt like I was treated as one of your crew, and the lowliest of them at that! You went from one command to another then another and you never treated me like a son. The sad thing is, this will all happen again. This is your future, but it is my past. If you could change it, I know that you would, but it's not up to you. The one who needs to be able to change it is me, but I can't because I can't change my past. Not even a Q can do that."

Picard's mouth was hanging open. He slowly looked at Beverly, and she nodded.

"Jean Luc. I may be falling into a clever trap that he's laid, but I think he may be telling the truth."

"Commander!" Picard shouted. "Can you hear me?" Enterprise was under radio silence, so he didn't dare call Starfleet, but he felt like Janus was telling the truth, and he wanted to be sure. He had been fooled by this individual before, and a trap like this one was right up his alley.

Kirk didn't appear, but all three in the room heard his voice. "Yes, Jean Luc?"

"You know what Janus has been saying. He claims that Beverly and I are his parents. Is what he is saying true?"

Instead of answering Picard, Kirk's voice challenged Janus. "Why did you tell them this? Now when you are born, they will be constantly second guessing their parenting. They will be constantly wondering if, when they discipline you this time, will this be what causes you to rebel!"

Before Janus could respond, however, Spock flashed into being. But this Spock was obviously much older than Kirk's first officer and friend, and something about him made him seem considerably wiser than Spock Prime. "It's alright, Jim," he said quietly. "I can deal with this." The ancient Vulcan turned to Janus. "I understand your wish to tell your parents about this. To confront them with the way you still feel.

"You have been disciplined for your actions, and while you have changed, you still feel the pain you always have. Only time will heal those wounds, Janus. Your parents have done," he paused and looked at Picard and Beverly, "will do all they can to raise you in the best way possible. By your own admission, you feel that your sister was treated differently, yet she also rebelled.

"Consider: a wise person once said that raising a child is the one job that, by the time you are good at it, you retire. In the case of a person who bears the amount of responsibility that your father always has, children often take a back seat to other things. This is unfortunate, because a child doesn't understand the burdens his parents carry." Spock walked up and put his hand on Janus' shoulder. "My father was an ambassador, Janus. I felt very much as you do, and I was Vulcan. Logic should have informed me that my father was doing the best he could, but I was a child first, before Vulcan. I longed for the love of my father. In a way, my counterpart from this time line had it better than I did, for when my mother was killed in this reality, my father saw the necessity to bond with me more than he had in the past. I suddenly had my father's attention."

Janus' head was hanging, and there were tears coming from his eyes. He looked up and blinked his eyes several times, looking from his mother to his father and back again. "I wanted attention. I only got it when I acted against your wishes.. I got it when I tormented you." He looked away, then at the Vulcan Q. "I really have changed, First. I'm not the brat I was when I was tormenting them. But you're right, I still feel like I don't have the respect I wanted all those years ago." He looked at Picard before continuing. "And it's my fault too. I know that. You're just starting out. To you, I haven't even been born, but you know what I'll be when I grow up." He hung his head and shook it, then he looked up at Beverly. "You don't even know about the dog…" He cut off as he realized the dangerous look in her eyes. It was one he knew well from growing up with her as his mother.

"Yes. I. Do." she said icily. "And if you want to live to be another year older, young man, you had better NEVER do anything like that again, do I make myself clear?"

Janus' voice had failed him. He simply nodded his head, his eyes wide.

Picard was quite impressed by Beverly's handling of Janus, and decided he wanted to ask her about the incident... later.


	10. Chapter 10

The three ships emerged from warp on the back side of the Narvasam sun and immediately cloaked. They established orbits over the planet which would keep them out of the general flow of traffic. Since they were cloaked, they didn't want someone stumbling upon them the hard way.

Once they were in orbit, another ship emerged from warp and assumed a standard equatorial orbit. It was a small trading vessel, not big enough to carry large cargos. This vessel would only be large enough for a trader to make a decent living for himself and nothing more. At the controls was a man well known by both the people who had once worked at the SGC, and the Federation. Harcourt Fenton Mudd, or Harry Mayborne, whichever name he was using, was also known on this world. He had frequented it before he had been sent to prison. Narvasam was well off the normal trade routes, but still had much to offer, primarily items that were not entirely legal on the major worlds of the galaxy.

A fifth vessel cane into orbit, but this one was much larger, and like the three in the convoy, cloaked. It signalled the convoy, and the commander identified himself as John Sheppard, of the Nathan Stark.

After gaining permission to land, Mudd's vessel started dropping out of orbit. After lighting up the sky as it burnt off speed, it set a course for Urrobafv, the largest city on the planet. It set down in a public spaceport, and the gangway dropped from under the ship. It touched the rock ground with a clang. Harry strode down the ramp, followed by O'Neill, Teal'c, and Picard. All were dressed in leather and fur trader's garb. They stopped at the single door out of the port. An Orion man demanded rudely to see their papers.

"I don't need papers here," Mudd told him, just as rudely. "Everyone on this planet knows Leo Walsh!"

O'Neill looked appraisingly at Mudd. Before getting off the ship, the trader had said to just play along with whatever was said, but O'Neill had figured Harry would use his correct name. Or one of them, anyway.

"I saw the news when you were sent to jail, Mudd!" the Orion was in his face. "Your name is Harcourt Fenton Mudd! Not Leo Francis Walsh. You've been lying since I met you, and you come here, almost a century later, expecting to let bygones be bygones? You've got some gall!"

"Now hold on a moment," Harry said, stopping only when he found himself looking cross-eyed at a phaser being held against his nose.

"Why should I, Mudd?"

"Because my hold is full of dilithium crystals," he said, "Cases and cases of them."

The Orion finally took notice of the three other men. O'Neill nodded and shrugged. "It's true."

Slowly the phaser dropped, and the Orion's face broke into a grin. "Leo, old friend we got off on the wrong foot. Let's go into the pub and talk about it, ok?" He placed a huge green arm around the trader's shoulders and escorted him towards the loud establishment across the street, gesturing for the other men to follow. Picard and O'Neill looked at each other and shrugged. Teal'c simply placed a beatific smile on his face and they followed behind the laughing trader and his burly Orion buddy.

After the Orion was ditched, something which took Harry a couple of hours to do, the four met back at the ship. It had taken some doing to get the Orion to allow them to leave. After Harry had explained that his three companions were the owners of the dilithium and he was only providing a buyer and transport the Orion had focused his attentions on them in an effort to lower their asking price.

Much to the Orion's chagrin, however, they started circulating around the bar, ostensibly to widen their sales base for dilithium, but actually, to see if they could pick up on someone who might have stories to tell about a massive station drifting through space. When they met back at the ship later, they compared notes. Teal'c had heard a legend told by an old man outside the pub. He was speaking to some children, telling of his glory days as a freighter captain. Apparently, he had heard of some pictures of a massive mushroom shaped vessel as it coasted through the system millennia ago. The pictures had been painted on the walls of a cave centuries before the civilization developed space flight. Teal'c asked the old captain if he knew where the caves were, but he didn't. For a modest amount of latinum, however, he told the Jaffa many more legends of the mushroom shaped vessel, but Teal'c suspected that many had been made up on the spur of the moment, in an effort to obtain even more latinum.

Picard had interesting news too. He had learned of a system with a dead world in it. Dead, except for an automated outpost. The energy signature from the outpost was consistent with a naquadah power source, and strangely, there seemed to be no other structures on the planet.

On the way back to Mudd's ship, they again met up with the Orion. He moved out of a dark alley as they were approaching the docks. In his hand was the phaser, pointed at the four.

"What is this?" Picard asked angrily as the group stopped.

"I want my dilithium," the Orion said flatly.

"As I recall," Picard said patiently, "you did not pay us for it."

"That is of little consequence," stated the Orion, "as I am the one holding the phaser."

"It would seem that you are the one in charge," Picard said, "but in my experience, things aren't always as they seem."

As he spoke, an ominous whine started emanating from the phaser. The green skinned being's eyes widened, then bulged as he tried to stop the overload. The dial, however, stubbornly refused to turn.

"Isn't that a shame," O'Neill said as the Orion struggled to shut off the bomb in his hand. "Here he thinks he's got us, and then his phaser goes and does that." Their assailant was now trying to throw the phaser, but he couldn't get his fingers to release it. He kept flinging his arm wildly, but his hand had other ideas.

The four stepped calmly by him, and into the dock. The phaser's whine stopped its furious pitch, and started to calm down. The poor Orion was still trying to pitch it as far from his body as he could, and resembled a man trying to fend off a furious swarm of wasps.

Mudd tuned a scanner in on the Orion as they rose above the walls of the spaceport, and the four watched him still trying to throw the now docile phaser, to no avail.

"How long are you gonna make him hold onto it?" O'Neill asked Picard as the Orion started running, as if that would put distance between him and the phaser still gripped tightly in his hand.

"Oh, I set the phaser to overload and I fully expected him to throw it. I had nothing to do with his inability to let go of it," Picard answered.

Everyone in the ship turned to Teal'c, who simply shrugged and said, "I suspected that a bomb that he could not get rid of would occupy his thoughts much more effectively than our fictitious dilithium."

"We're out of his range now, Teal'c," Harry stated.

"Indeed," Teal'c responded as he sat back in his seat and folded his arms.

The other three turned back to the scanner that showed the Orion curled up in a fetal position against a wall, the phaser still stuck in his hand. He was convulsing as if crying. Finally, his hand released and the phaser dropped to the ground. He didn't seem to notice.

"Well, one thing's certain," Harry said as they achieved orbit. The other three looked inquiringly at him, and he explained, "I'm not going to try to cross you."

In the Enterprise Briefing Room...

The four sat in the briefing room along with Sam, Daniel and Vala, Riker, Worf, Hermiod and Thor. While they were waiting for the last couple of people to arrive, Mudd regaled the group with an animated imitation of the Orion trying to throw the overloading phaser. Finally, Janus entered with the newly assigned assistant science officer, Wesley Crusher. Picard watched carefully as they entered together. Wesley had not been on Enterprise while it had dealt with the Q in the past, and was not aware that the powerful being was actually his half brother. The newly commissioned ensign had been raised almost as a son by Picard for much of his life, and he felt very protective of the young man. Janus sat down across from Wesley, and Picard felt somewhat disconcerted seeing him, sitting as an active participant in the briefing, rather than an uninvited party crasher, flashing in and creating chaos.

As Enterprise was his ship, Riker addressed the group first. "Thank you all for coming. We have received information regarding a planet that we suspect is an Iconian holding from before the time jump. Hermiod has studied the information Admiral Picard has brought back, and I'll let him explain what he has found."

The Asgard stood. He seemed to be a conflict, standing there at six foot six, muscles rippling, yet his voice was somewhat high pitched, and he would never dream of hefting a weapon, other than his mind. "Admiral Picard has told me that his informant on Narvasam accurately described an energy signature from a Naquadah power supply coming from the single installation on this planet. It seems likely, that this was an Iconian outpost, as the Federation has no record of any other culture using Naquadah as a power source."

"But dilithium is the same as Naquadah, just the crystalline form," Wesley Crusher interjected.

"That is not entirely true, Mr. Crusher," Hermiod corrected, as if speaking to a child. "Dilithium and Naquadah have the same chemical numbers, but they are hardly the same. The crystalline form does not produce it's own power. It merely enhances what power is sent through it. It focuses it, if you will. Metallic Naquadah is capable of producing it's own power, through radiation. Because of the unique properties of this radiation, it is rather easy to spot a Naquadah power source."

"This doesn't make sense, though," Jack Carter said. "We beamed every reactor up from all of our planets before the end. We didn't want our technology falling into enemy hands."

"Not that our tech would have made any difference to the Ori," O'Neill said ruefully.

"True, but we didn't leave anything behind," Carter persisted.

"Yes we did," his sister said quietly. "We left two reactors behind."

"Where?" Carter asked, exasperated.

"We left a couple of reactors on Earth to power the defense installation."

Her words left everyone silent for a long moment. "You think this dead world may be your Earth?" Picard asked.

"It certainly fits, Sir," she said. "I mean, let's look at the facts. A dead world. Our Earth had been razed by the Ori. There wasn't any vegetation left behind. Even the oceans had been boiled dry and the water vapor chemically mixed with other elements to create a toxic atmosphere. The cities, towns and farmlands had all been reduced to bedrock. The planet was a cemetery. A monument to those we had lost. We left one installation to keep others away."

Picard was silent. Finally in a voice that was almost a whisper, he said. "I'm sorry, Doctor O'Neill. I wasn't aware of the level of destruction."

"That's ok, Sir. It's been a long time, but there were lots of friends who died there."

He nodded his understanding, then Riker asked Jack O'Neill to explain what they should expect to find at the installation.

"If this is actually our Earth we can expect the defense installation to fire on Enterprise. It won't fire on any of our vessels, however. What will happen to Enterprise is that the probes will deposit a virus in her central computers, which will try to override their programming. Hermiod's Asgard core connected to the multitronic system will offer some measure of protection. The best defense, however, will be to transport down one of the only two people in the universe who can make the installation stand down."

"Who are they?" Riker asked.

"Daniel Jackson and Jean Luc Picard," Thor answered.

"How can the Admiral stop it?" Wesley wanted to know.

Again, Hermiod took the initiative to answer. "The core is programmed to respond only to the mental arrangement of Merlin and Daniel Jackson as they are the Iconian Chancellor and Vice Chancellor, respectively. By keying it in this way, no one, not even another Q, can turn off the probes."

"What is the command?" Picard asked.

"The system uses a virtual intelligence, Admiral," Sam answered. "All you have to do is tell it to not fire."

"Admiral," Riker stated. "Regulations state that you shouldn't beam down to a potentially hostile situation."

Picard started to nod, then thought better of it. "I appreciate your concern, Captain, but I very seriously doubt that I'm in any danger there."

Riker started to speak, but then stopped. "Of course you're not, Sir."

"And, it seems that Dr. Jackson and myself are the only two people who can stop this from attacking the Enterprise. It seems to me that one of us must beam down. Besides. I have to admit that I have a great curiosity as to what we'll find down there."

Riker nodded. He was frustrated because he had always sheltered Picard from beaming down to the surface of planets in potentially harmful situations. Now, as a Q, Picard had absolutely no need for protection. If anything, Picard would now be the logical person to keep Riker out of harms way.

In Picard's Quarters…

That evening, Picard was relaxing with Beverly, sipping tea, and chatting in the sitting area of his quarters. The door chime sounded, and he announced, "Come!" There was a flash of light, and Daniel Jackson and Vala appeared by the door. Picard was amused that the flashing into his quarters of Q didn't seem to annoy him anymore. Instead, he motioned for them to have a seat.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" he asked them after they were seated.

"We need to speak with you regarding a new member of your crew," Daniel told them.

"Amanda Rogers," Vala filled in the name.

"Ah," Picard exhaled. "I saw a picture of her parents in the news some time ago. If I'm not mistaken, they were Jack and Samantha O'Neill. So Amanda is Q, isn't she?"

"Well, that's what we're not sure of. You see, she's the first child born to Q parents since the end of the Ori war. We're not sure how the fracturing of reality will affect her. She might be Q, she might not.," Daniel explained.

"So you want me to find out?" Picard asked. "How would I do that?"

"Well Admiral, the best way to discover if she's Q is to observe her," Daniel answered. "See if she displays any telekinesis. See if she conjures anything out of nothing. See if she relocates herself."

"But what would be the chances she would display any of these abilities where I would be able to observe?"

"Not very good," Vala said.

"Precisely, which is why I think the best way to see if she has displayed any of these talents is to ask her," Picard declared.

"Or you could do that," Daniel said, matter-of-factly. "But what if she doesn't want to tell us?"

"Then I would say that we are no worse off than now," Beverly interjected.

Daniel didn't speak for a couple of moments, and Vala finally answered for him, "That seems to be a logical conclusion." She looked at Daniel who was glowering at her. "Doesn't it?"

"The problem with that is that she will then be on her guard," he stated.

"That is true," Picard agreed, "she will be much more self conscious. However, she cannot hide from us forever."

Daniel nodded. "I agree, but there's a lot more at stake right now than just whether or not Amanda Rogers is personally Q. We need to know whether or not a child, born of two Q on a physical level in this point in time, is a Q. We just don't know how the merged realities will affect that." He looked both of them in the eye before continuing. "Normally, we wouldn't be concerned about this at all, but we'd really like to know about the future of our species."

Beverly stood. "Well, I don't see any reason to simply sit here talking about it. That is accomplishing very little." She held out her hand to Picard, and asked, "Shall we go?"

He took her hand, and as he stood, asked, "Where are we going?"

"We are going, my dear Jean Luc, to ask her if she is Q."

Picard looked at the still seated Jackson with raised eyebrows, as he allowed Beverly to steer him toward the door. Jackson looked at Vala who had a wicked grin on her face as she stood to follow. Jackson had no choice but to follow.

Later…

After everyone had left, Picard was sitting alone, thinking about what had been said. He knew that Jackson was being truthful. In fact, Picard didn't even consider the possibility of Daniel and Vala lying. But there was still something that Picard was bothered by. Something from his other lifetime that he wanted explained. To that end, he flashed to the continuum.

In his mind, he arranged his surroundings to be comfortable to him. He knew that any other Q would be perceiving their surroundings in whatever way they wished. What Picard saw, however, was an archaeological dig. He was wearing tan trousers, shirt, and a fedora. Looking around, he saw that he was in ancient Egypt, and was observing a giant ring being stood up, several hundred feet from him.

He sensed a presence beside him, and spoke. "First."

The serene man, wearing clothing similar to his own, glanced at him. "Admiral. It is good to see you again."

"Thank you, Sir. I would ask you a few questions."

"And I will do my best to answer."

They watched as the stargate was stood up fully. Picard had never seen the ring before, but he had desired to see this scene since he had met the Iconians and heard of their development. Once it was standing, they began to walk, circling the dig.

"In the original timeline, Janus showed up when we were taking on a young Amanda Rogers. He took on the responsibility of training her in the use of her powers. While I don't agree with his methods, shouldn't new Q be trained in the use of their powers?"

The First stopped and turned to face the human Q. "I agree, Admiral. As a matter of fact, after this, all new Q are required to be trained. You and I will, quite literally, be the only Q who discovered how to use their powers on their own."

"Why only you and I?"

"I became Q after I travelled back in time. Being drawn through the singularity changed me forever. Because I was pulled through first, the continuum was linked to me. I was the first Q. While that was many years ago in your time, no Q have been formed since then. You are the Second."

"I have only become Q recently. Beverly has actually been a Q longer than I have. For that matter, so has Amanda Rogers." Spock raised an inquiring eyebrow at Picard's statement. Picard nodded as he said, "She confirmed that she has, in fact, special powers that she has never understood."

"Fascinating, however, it does not change the fact that you are The Second."

"How can that be?"

"Admiral, consider that you are Janus' father, and Beverly Crusher, whom you have not married yet, but are planning to, is his mother. You have no children together yet, however, Janus has plagued your existence for quite some time. He has been your nemesis for many years. Logically, he becomes a Q after you do since he is your son . Chronological order on the physical plane has little to do with who becomes Q first."

Picard considered for a long moment. Finally he nodded, then asked, "So am I to understand that you and I are the ones who train the rest of the people in the use of their powers?"

"That is correct, Admiral."

"Well, then, I suppose I had better get acquainted with what we are capable of."

The Vulcan did not quite smile.

Back on board Enterprise, Picard stopped in at his charge's quarters. Annika was seated on a sofa, looking at the PADD in her hand. Over the past six weeks, she had been reading all the literature stored in Enterprise' computers. Within reason. Picard saw no need to allow her access to technical specifications of Federation ships, or even history books, detailing the development of the Federation. Instead, she had been allowed to read that fiction which did not have historical references in it. She stood when she saw him. "Admiral," she said as she nodded a greeting.

"Hello, Annika," he said seating himself on the sofa. He was not one to invade someone else's mind, however, in this instance he had no choice. And he doubted that, given her desire to rejoin with the collective, she would mind. Regardless of what he thought her reaction would be, he still made the touch as light as possible, and was somewhat surprised to find the mind of Annika, the human, still intact. He made a slightly bolder touch that went deeper. He could feel her mind crying out at the pain the Borg had caused. He could feel the last independent thoughts of countless minds that they had assimilated, screaming for justice. He wondered how her own mind would deal with these final thoughts, or if it even could. He could feel the tendrils of the years of collective control, and was tempted to simply erase it, but that would be an invasion that he could not justify. Instead, he lightly touched her top level, conscious thoughts. Here, he found that Annika, the human, was still very much in control. There was a part of her that wanted desperately to return to the collective, but there was another part of her that never wanted to be a Borg again. At present, it was difficult to tell which side would win out, and Picard would have hated to lay odds for either side. "How has your reading been going?" he asked.

"It is difficult to understand humor," she said. "I have been reading the collected works from a periodical called Field and Stream, published in New York City throughout the twentieth and twenty first century. In one story, the author seemed to pride himself in causing inclement weather whenever he and his best friend planned extended excursions outdoors.

Picard was unfamiliar with the reference, so quickly absorbed the literature she had been reading. "I see," he said chuckling. "The type of stories you are referring to derives it's humor from over the top situations. The author really did not cause bad weather whenever he went camping or hunting. In reality, he probably had no worse luck regarding weather than anyone else, but those trips where he encountered storms stuck in his mind. He knew that the times other people had encountered the same type of weather stuck in their minds as well, and by amplifying his own bad luck, he was able to allow his readers to laugh at theirs."

"So you are saying that he used his writing as a psychological tool."

"Correct. People took comfort in the idea that there was someone who had worse luck than them."

"So they were laughing at him?" she asked. "I thought individuals did not like being laughed at."

"Human beings do not like being laughed at in a situation they do not control. However, if they control the situation, they control other people's reactions, and that is power to some people."

She was very confused now. "Do I understand that this is a psychological manipulation?"

"Yes, I suppose it is," he conceded, "but unlike other types of manipulation, this is for the simple pleasure of making other people happy. You see, many types of manipulation are for the gain of the manipulator. This type gives him some gratification, certainly, but mostly it is for the gratification of the audience."

She nodded, but seemed somewhat unconvinced. "I shall have to do more reading keeping this in mind, then."

He nodded and stood. "Very good," he told her. "I shall be back to see how you are progressing tomorrow, then."

"Thank you, Admiral," she said, nodding.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Standard Disclaimer: We don't own Star Trek, Eureka, Stargate, or Battlestar Galactica. Nor do we own Dr. Who.

The ships settled into orbit around a barren rock of a planet. As predicted, the defense system did not fire on the Iconian vessels. Picard and Daniel were beamed down to the control room by the O'Neill. When they had beamed down, Picard looked to Jackson for confirmation. There were tears in the vice-chancellor's eyes as he gazed around him.

"I was the last person to leave," he said, almost absently. "There was nothing left. No living organism on the planet - not even bacteria."

"We need to shut down the defense system, Daniel," Picard said softly.

Daniel looked back at Picard and nodded. "Computer, shut down the defense systems."

"I am sensing Merlin in the control room as well as Daniel Jackson," the computer stated. "Does Merlin concur?"

"Affirmative," Picard answered. "Shut it down."

"Hullo," a voice said from behind them. They whirled and incredibly, saw a man in a dark blue, pin-striped suit standing there. He was quite young, and peeking around him was a young, blonde woman. She was waving to them. "It's wonderful to see you!" the man exclaimed, quickly stepping forward and grasping their hands in turn, pumping them vigorously. "I'm John Smith, and this is my wife, Rose!"

Picard looked Smith up and down, and noted that he was wearing red tennis shoes with his suit.

"How did you get in here?" Jackson asked, incredulous.

"Yes… Well… My ship crashed on the surface, and we spotted this building in the distance. Walked here. The computer was nice enough to open the door and let us in."

"Why would it do that?" Jackson asked, suspicious. "It is only supposed to allow Iconians in, and I don't recognize either of you as Iconians."

"I read through the manifest of Iconians also, and I don't recognize either of you either," Picard agreed.

"Now that is strange, isn't it," Smith said, looking around the room. He walked over to the control panels and touched one.

"Please don't touch those," Daniel asked, stepping forward quickly.

"Why not?" the stranger asked. "I'm just opening a gateway."

"I know you are. That's the problem."

"Why?"

Jackson took a deep breath. "Look, I don't know who you are or what you're doing here, but this is very sensitive equipment."

"I know," Smith agreed. "There's something you need to see, though."

"And what's that?" Jackson challenged.

"You're Iconians, right? You've somehow come into the future from the far past. I've been doing some calculations about subspace, hyperspace, normal space… I think you'll want to see what I've found"

"What do you know about hyperspace?" Picard asked the strange man.

Smith looked penetratingly at Picard for several seconds before saying, "I know that it kept the powers of the Q from working for a long time."

"What do you know of the Q?" Picard asked carefully.

"I know that you both are Q. You are Merlin, and he is Daniel Jackson."

"How do you know that?" Jackson asked as he was preparing to defend himself from this strange man. He reached out to Picard, and found that he was not alone in his misgivings.

"The station's database, of course," Smith said, a massive grin on his face.

Both Picard and Jackson gave a great sigh of relief at that piece of information, but remained wary. "I don't understand how you could have gotten into the database. The only way to get even extremely limited access should be if you were listed in it," Jackson argued.

"Nope," Smith said, lightheartedly. "Pretty sure I'm not there. Just so you know, I can get into just about any computer with this," he said, holding up a strange instrument about the size of a pen.

"What is that?" Picard asked.

"Sonic screwdriver. Very useful for lots of stuff."

"A screwdriver?" Jackson asked. You broke into this computer with a screwdriver?"

"A sonic screwdriver," Rose corrected, speaking for the first time since saying hello.

"Ok. You broke into this computer with a sonic screwdriver?"

"Yes... Well, No... Well, Sort of," Smith said. Jackson simply looked at Picard, who shook his head unbelievingly.

"Obviously, you got into the computer, but I don't think that's the important point," Picard said mildly. "I'm curious as to what your calculations are, Mr. Smith."

"Doctor, please."

"Doctor Smith, then," Picard sighed.

"No, just Doctor."

Picard's patience was failing fast, but he held his temper in check and tried once more. "Alright, Doctor. What calculations have you made?"

Smith smiled broadly. "Well. We've been taking some measurements on different worlds. Awhile back, I noticed that travel through subspace was messing with normal space."

"Yes. We know about that," Picard said. "Our scientists found the same thing a few years ago."

"Great!" Smith exclaimed. "But you see, that didn't make sense to me, because I knew there was another way to travel, and if you added hyperspace into the equation..."

What he was saying suddenly made sense to Picard. "Our scientists didn't know about hyperspace travel," he breathed. "Their equations weren't correct because they made assumptions that were incorrect."

Smith turned to Rose. "I told you he was a brilliant man!". Turning back to Picard and Jackson, he said, "there's no way any equation about subspace would be entirely correct without taking into account hyperspace."

"But we've travelled in subspace literally for centuries."

"Yes, you have. Your equations will let you do that to a degree, but you won't be able to do it properly because of the missing part of the equation. How to explain this... Ah! Being a door isn't the same thing as being a window, is it?"

"No," Jackson said warily.

"Precisely!". He saw the blank look on everyone's face, even Rose's. "Maybe that wasn't the best analogy. A color blind person can still see, right?"

"I think I understand," Picard said.

"I understand how Jack must have felt all those times, because I still don't get it," Daniel stated.

"A color blind person can see," Picard explained, "just not as many colors as someone who isn't color blind. It's similar for us. We can travel through subspace, but not to the extent we could if we had all of the equations."

"Exactly!" The Doctor said.

"So the damage to normal space hasn't been understood completely either?" Jackson asked.

"What damage to normal space?"

"You mentioned it just a moment ago. You said, 'travel through subspace was messing with normal space.'"

"Yes, but I didn't say anything about damage," Smith said defensively.

"You don't think space is being damaged? You feel that something else is happening?" Daniel persisted.

"When something has been broken for a long time, repairs sometimes are mistaken as damage," Smith said cryptically.

Before any more conversation could occur, they were interrupted by Picard's communicator chirping, and Riker's voice coming through it. "Riker to Admiral Picard. Has the problem of the probes been taken care of?"

Guiltily, Picard reached up and tapped his communicator badge. "Affirmative, Captain." He turned to Jackson. "I think it would be beneficial to continue this discussion on Enterprise with the the twins, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, and getting Sam and Thor in on the conversation would be good too," Daniel said.

"Agreed," Picard said, then he addressed the Doctor: "Mr…. Doctor," he corrected himself, "would you care to transport up to my flagship with us?"

The Doctor seemed to weigh his options, then suddenly looked up at Picard, an enormous smile on his face. "That would be brilliant! I'd love to!"

Picard reached up and tapped his comm badge. "Picard to Enterprise. Four to beam up."

Riker glanced back at Worf, who growled. "Four, Sir?" Riker asked.

"That's correct, Captain."

"Acknowledged." He stood up. "You have the bridge, Mr. Hawke," he said to the helm officer, as he left the bridge. He wanted to see who was beaming up with the Admiral.

The Enterprise Transporter Room...

As Riker strode into the transporter room, the four had just finished materializing. Normally, the transporter operator would have waited until Riker arrived, but one did not keep the Admiral in charge of the fleet waiting. The two people were an odd sight. They seemed to be dressed two to three hundred years out of date, rather like some of the Iconians seemed to dress. He had recently met Kevin and Claudia, Dr. Carter's son and daughter-in-law. This woman's clothing seemed to be of a similar style, but somewhat less gothic. As well, her hair was uniformly blonde instead of multiple colors, but the feeling was of the same era, however. The man was something different entirely. He was in a blue pin-striped suit and tie, with red and white tennis shoes.

Picard stepped off the transporter pad and introduced the couple. "This is Doctor John Smith and his wife, Rose." He indicated Riker, "And this is Captain William Riker, commander of the Enterprise."

"Just call me Doctor, Captain," Smith said, holding his hand out.

"Captain," Picard said, "would you please request that the twins come over here, as well as Samantha O'Neill and Thor? Have them meet us in the briefing room, and you join us as well. You will want to hear what the Doctor has to say."

Later that evening…

Callister, Eli, and Kevin Blake had beamed down to the outpost and replaced the ZPM. Callister sat in the control chair directly below the gateroom, to review the logs of the automated facility. For the benefit of Eli and Kevin, he allowed the digital signal to be played aloud. Kevin had the unique ability to listen to such a signal, and derive emotions from it. Eli, on the other hand, could listen, and, with the help of the nanites in his body, understand it. As it played, all three were motionless.

Suddenly, however, Kevin tensed up. "Something was found and lost again."

"Yeah," Eli agreed. "The outpost sensed a mining ship of Iconian design, but it lost the signal."

Callister focused the playback onto the mining ship. "They found it again!," Kevin exclaimed quickly.

"It wasn't found exactly," Eli corrected, "but the computers recorded it crashing."

"Did you catch the coordinates of the planet it crashed on?" Callister asked.

Eli turned a look on Callister which seemed incredulous that such a question would be asked.

"I was just wondering, Eli," the android said in defense.

"Hey!" Kevin said as he felt the mood change in the playback. "Guys! There's something happening and I'm not sure what it is."

Eli directed his attention back to the signal, and Callister asked it to replay what had just happened. Kevin was right. The outpost had detected Avalon coasting through space, but as it got out of range, the signal faded.

After the three reviewed the logs, Thor transported the entire outpost building into O'Neill's hold. The probe storage and launch facility was dematerialized and stored in the computer core of the Daniel Jackson while Enterprise brought the three satellites into her cargo holds.

After this was done, the ships left orbit and started in the direction of the class Y planet where the mining ship crashed.

While in interstellar space, O'Neill picked up a strange energy signature from another star system. It was of a similar type of energy as both Dilithium and Naquadah, though slightly different from both. Thor consulted with the Federation people, and even asked the Doctor if he had ever seen anything like it. "Well, since you're asking me, I'm guessing you're not including Naquadah and Dilithium, because they're both like it, and I've seen them. It's not trilithium, or Naquadria, as I'm sure you already noticed. My guess is that it's a derivative of the same Naquadah molecule." He paused for dramatic effect. "I'd check it out."

Thor did not want to stop the search for Avalon but considering that the power source they had scanned was apparently closely related to Naquadah, and was powerful enough to be scanned this far from the system it was in, he was willing to concede that it would be a good idea. As well Picard pointed out, "Se aren't stopping the search, just postponing it for a short time."

As they approached the system, Wesley Crusher watched the distinct signal on his scanner. It did not change. The signal remained strong. He did some rough calculations, and figured that the power source, whatever it was, seemed to be in between the output of metallic naquadah and liquid naquadah.

In orbit of the planet...

When they got into orbit around the planet, Crusher was able to get enough detail from his scans to see that whatever it was seemed to be a somewhat under-refined version of liquid naquadah. He reported his findings to Hermiod, the head of the science division. "An under-refined version of liquid naquadah? That seems highly unlikely, young man."

"I realize that, Sir, but look at the readings for yourself. The chemical makeup seems identical to liquid naquadah, but there are a number of impurities in it."

The Asgard looked at the readings for a long moment. He knew that Crusher held two doctorates: one in physics, and one in chemistry. He also knew that this young man was treated by Admiral Picard as a son. But what made Hermiod's decision to allow Wesley to report his findings personally was the fact that next to the twins of this time period, he was the best engineer around. He watched as Crusher walked up to Riker to make a report. The young scientist reminded him of himself for some reason. He supposed it was because Crusher wanted to make a name for himself. He wanted to be taken seriously by adults, even though he was still in his early twenties.

"Sir, we have some conclusions about the power source on this planet," Crusher said, importantly.

"Alright, Mr. Crusher. What have you discovered?"

"It's liquid naquadah, Sir."

"Liquid naquadah? Here?" Riker seemed somewhat disbelieving, and glanced back at Hermiod, who nodded. "How did it get here?"

"Unknown, Sir. We can't determine that from orbit. There is a single lifesign on the surface near the naquadah, however. It's hard to distinguish, but it's definitely there."

"Alright, Mr. Crusher. You'll head up a landing party comprised of yourself, Dr. Carter and two more scientists, plus a security detail."

"Me, Sir?" Crusher almost squeaked out the question in his surprise. "I've never led a landing party, Sir."

"Don't you think you can handle it, Mr. Crusher?" Riker asked, an edge to his voice.

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir. I can handle it," was the hasty reply.

"Good. Dismissed then."

Crusher turned and left the bridge, headed back to his labs. He wasn't sure who he wanted exactly, but he would set up a decent team. He had to show Riker that he knew what he was doing.

On the Planet's surface…

The landing party materialized on a flat plane. There were rock formations all around, and in one of them, the entrance to a cave. One of the security guards, Laura Cadman, indicated the mouth of the cave with her tricorder. "In there," she mouthed.

Cadman was an Iconian. When the cultural exchange programs became a reality with the Federation, she was one of the first in line. She wanted to learn how the Federation managed security. She had recently started the Klingon training on Enterprise, and was getting pretty decent with a bat'leth.

She took the lead as they entered the cave, with Crusher and Carter on either side of her. As they got closer, Crusher motioned for caution. The liquid naqhadah readings were getting very strong, as well as the human lifesigns. Cadman motioned for her fellow security guard to take up positions with the other scientists guarding the entrance. She then crept forward, keeping her charges behind her. They rounded a corner and they saw a human male seated on the ground beside some sort of metallic robot. It appeared as though the human was making an adjustment inside it's back. The man looked up when he saw their lights and darted towards a holstered weapon beside him.

"Don't!" Cadman ordered.

The man stopped just short of the holster. "Oh, Frack!" he exclaimed.

"Hands on your head, and then carefully, stand up and kick the weapon this way, then move over to that wall." She motioned towards a wall to her right.

Very slowly, making no unnecessary movements, he complied. The holster only moved a couple of inches on the ground, and the robot turned it's head to look at it. The man noticed, and said, "No, Cy. I've got a feeling this lady is pretty good with her weapons. That popgun she's holding looks like it could do a lot of damage to you, and I just got your power flow straightened out."

The robot responded in a flat monotone, "I will comply for now, Karl." Since it had turned to face the Federation people, they could see that its face was not designed to look like a human face, but like a helmet of some kind. Where the eyes should have been was a single red light moving back and forth in a slit in the helmet.

Crusher excitedly said, "The power supply is all around us. The lights, the robot, the sidearms. They're all powered by liquid naquadah!"

Doctor Carter had her medical tricorder out and was scanning the human. She frowned as the instrument told her of multiple injuries to the man's body. She turned to Cadman. "I can't help him from here."

"Go ahead, Doctor," Cadman said, adjusting the phaser in her hand.

"You know," the man said, "I'm not a threat. I was just working on Cy there when you came in. You just took me by surprise."

"Then how come you went for your sidearm?" Cadman asked.

"Well, if you look at it from my point of view, I'm sitting at home, minding my own business, when military people come in, brandishing weapons. I'd say you'd probably react in a less than stellar fashion too."

"That may well be," Cadman conceded, the phaser not wavering a millimeter, "but I think I'll keep this in my hand for now, just to be sure."

"That's fine," the man said, taking it in stride.

Carter was running her sensors over the man, and spoke up now. "What happened to you? I'm showing several injuries that have healed, but they appear to be impact sustained." She looked up from her scanner. "Did you crash here?"

"Look," said the man, "We haven't been introduced. My name is Karl. Karl Thrace. Usually, however, I go by my call sign, which is Starbuck, so why don't you just call me that."

"Very well, Mr. Thrace," she said, easily avoiding the invitation for first name familiarity. "Did you crash here?"

He was hoping to get the name of this very attractive doctor who was ministering to his injuries, but for the moment he recognized that he was shot down. He sighed, "Yes, I crashed here after my viper had taken some damage."

"Well, you healed up pretty well, but you have some metal lodged near your spine. If you move wrong, you could end up paralyzed," Allison explained. She turned to Cadman. "We need to get him to Enterprise now. That fragment needs to be removed as soon as possible."

Cadman nodded and contacted the ship. "Cadman to Enterprise. Three to beam directly to sickbay." She noted Allison's nod of approval, and before she was transported, she told Wesley to keep an eye on the robot.

Once the three had transported, Crusher turned to the robot. "So your name is Cy?"

"That is correct."

"What is your function?" Crusher asked as he knelt down to study the robot's open back panel.

"I am a cylon centurion. I was created to help fight the war against humans. When the raider I was assigned to crashed on this world, Karl reassembled me from the parts of the three centurions on the ship. Since then, my function has been unclear other than friendship for Karl."

Wesley gently closed the back of the cylon and moved to where he could face it. The statement that the cylon had been created to fight humans disturbed the scientist, but the fact that it was clearly a friend to the human here made him want to ask more questions. "Do you desire to go back to your previous post?"

"If I were to do that, I would be forced to fight humans again. Perhaps, I would be required to kill Karl at sometime in the future. That is undesirable."

"So what will your function be then?"

"I am Karl's friend. He is mine. His movement has been limited by his injuries. I have helped him as he helped me."

"If Dr. Carter helps to heal his injuries, will that destroy your function."

" I do not believe that to be the case. I have found that humans never have enough friends , and even if he does not need my help physically, he will still need my friendship."

Wesley smiled at that. "That's true, Cy." He was studying his tricorder which was showing a readout of current flow in the cylon. It was truly complicated "How long can you last on your power supply without it being replaced, Cy?"

"According to my memory banks, a power supply can last for many years," Cy replied. "Obviously, the more sophisticated the Cylon, the more power is drawn. A Command Centurion in the field will last for approximately half the time of a standard centurion such as me."

"What about one not in the field?" Wesley wanted to know.

"A Command Centurion aboard a Base Star does not engage in as much physical activity, therefore they do not use as much power. The reason that a Command Centurion in the field uses so much power is because of the physical movement and processing power of their brains. Are human beings comparable?"

"A human brain takes approximately twenty percent of the calories ingested each day," Wesley answered as he turned to scan the sidearm left on the ground by Karl. "Actually, that's a very simplistic way of putting it. The human brain uses about twenty percent of our energy during a period at our resting metabolic rate. But studies have never reliably shown that a 'smarter' brain uses more energy than one that's not as smart. My own theory is that a 'smarter' brain for a specific task will be more efficient in performing that task, thereby using less energy."

"That makes sense," Cy agreed. "The human brain adapts in ways the cylon one cannot. If a cylon is built for a specific design, they are more efficient. The centurion is a multi use cylon, and therefore uses more power to perform a wider variety of tasks. This is the reason we decided to make humanform cylons."

Wesley glanced up from his tricorder and asked, "Humanform cylons?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but had to ask.

"They are a special line of cylon that is organic in nature. It is impossible to tell a humanform cylon from an actual human just by looking at physical characteristics."


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We are very sorry for the delay in this chapter being posted. We were on vacation away from WiFi. Again, we do not own Trek, Stargate, Eureka, BSG, or Dr. Who. Just fans.

The four ships, Enterprise-D, O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, and Nathan Stark dropped out of warp. The planet they were orbiting was a class Y planet - usually referred to as Demon Class. The ship they had come to find was buried beneath a lava flow that had been cooled for millenia. Most of the ship had been destroyed when the lava enveloped it, but certain parts had survived the encasing process.

Nathan Stark was the only ship designed to handle the corrosive atmosphere, plus the low altitude winds, without any problems, so it dove low over the surface and obtained detailed scans of the remains of the fully automated vessel. Once that was done, the scans were transferred to the Daniel Jackson to be examined.

Several people were seated around the Jackson's conference table. Eli Wallace, as the ship's commander, sat at the head of the table. The ship was actually Thor's science vessel while the O'Neill was his battleship. Eli was regularly the first officer, but in this case, he commanded because Thor had O'Neill.

Eli and Samantha had examined most of the scans. They had also gone to Hermiod and Wesley on board Enterprise, and they had poured over them.

"The ship is buried under about a thousand feet of lava flow," Sam explained. "The Stark had to make several passes over the area to get a complete scan. The ship is broken into several pieces, whether by the action of the lava, or the crash, we don't know."

Eli spoke up now. "We think that the best way to continue our scan is to transport the debris out of the lava flow to the cargo bay of one of our ships, preferably Enterprise."

"Excuse me," Jack O'Neill interjected, "but we already have pieces of the Earth Outpost in the cargo holds. How are we supposed to beam the pieces of this ship up?"

Hermiod stared at O'Neill for a long moment, until the human couldn't take it anymore. "What?" Jack asked, self conscious of the Asgard's scrutiny.

"Obviously, we will need to hold the pieces in the computer pattern buffers. We can use this to reproduce them with the holo-emitters. If we need to physically test any piece, we can use the holodeck replication technology. The will be no problems, General," the Asgard explained, exuding an air of extreme patience.

"Oh, "Jack said, "that makes sense, I suppose." Somehow, Hermiod managed to convey the same arrogance in his more humanlike body as he did when he was a Grey, and Jack was trying to avoid being on the receiving end of any more of it.

Riker was somewhat dubious, but he decided to trust his science officer. Hermiod hadn't been on Enterprise for long, but from what the Captain had seen, he was well deserving of trust. Arrangements were made to transport the mining ship into the computer's memory, and on the next pass over the lava field, Enterprise was placed in stationary orbit. Then the transporter officer went to work. There was much more to this type of operation than simply sliding three controls. For the operation to be successful, pinpoint accuracy was required of both the computer and officer. Miles O'Brien, the Enterprise transporter chief, was one of the few people with the ability to pull off such a stunt.

Riker was standing beside the transporter console, watching the talented O'Brien as his fingers were moving deftly across the controls. Miles had written a program which would transport up only the material of the ship. Any rock from the lava flows would be left behind. Riker watched as the air above the platform shimmered momentarily then stopped, then the process started again. O'Brien was bringing the matter stream to the ship where he scanned it at a low level of integration, then sent the rock back to the planet, and stored the fragments in the ship's memory. The process took the better part of an hour for even O'Brien to accomplish. For a few moments, the Iconian twins stepped into the room, and Scotty nodded approvingly at what the Starfleet man was doing. When they left, Scotty commented to Geordie, "That lad's impressive at the transporter controls. Why do ye suppose Captain Picard allowed him to go to DS-9? I would'a fought tooth n' nail to keep him on my ship."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I read through his record years later, and what he accomplished on that old Cardassian station was a miracle!" Geordie exclaimed.

"Aye, Laddie, that it was. He did some pretty amazin' things there, but I still think the Cap'n shoulda kep him here."

"I know, but it wouldn't have been the best for his carreer, Scotty."

"Aye," Scotty said, nodding in agreement.

They entered the cargo bay where Sam and Eli were already going over some of O'Brien's retrieved wreckage. The pieces of the Earth Defense installation had been scanned and dematerialized, and the pieces of wreckage had been holographically projected. Eli was hurrying to each new piece that arrived, like a kid in a candy store, unable to decide which was the most fascinating morsal. Sam, for her part, was excited as well. She recognized the type of ship this had been, and when a certain piece of equipment showed up, she gave an exclamation of delight, and pounced on it. She picked it up, and ordered the computer, "Materialize this fully!"

The piece of equipment in her hand shimmered, then she carried it to the corner of the room where an Iconian work bench had been set up. She put the object down, and plugged a cord running from a laptop into it.

After a few adjustments were made to the program, line after line of information began appearing on the screen. Finally, "There it is!" she almost yelled.

Eli had been watching the screen, and as the crucial information flew by on it, he called out, "Wallace to Hermiod."

A few minutes later…

They had been joined by Riker, LaForge, Hermiod, Wesley Crusher, and Picard. Sam played the screen back, and as information flashed by, she suddenly said, "There!"

Only Picard nodded in understanding, and Sam realized what was wrong. She stopped the display, and played back the relevant information again, only at a much slower pace. A Q, or even ascended being could take in the information at whatever speed the computer could display it. Eli was able to take it in, not because he was either, but his nanites that allowed him to listen to a digital signal and understand it also allowed his vision to act at superhuman speed. Riker, LaForge, Hermiod, and Crusher had no such abilities, but when the playback was slowed, Crusher announced, "That's a course!"

"Aye, Lad," Scotty said stepping forward. "That's the course of Avalon. She's the mother ship of this little miner."

"But where is that course? We could project that at any point in the galaxy. We'd need more information," LaForge said.

"We have it," Geordie told his younger self. "We've been able to find out exactly when this ship crashed, what it's course was… everything."

Hermiod nodded, and held out his hand. Sam placed a data crystal in it, and he turned to Riker. "With your permission, of course, Captain, I will project Enterprise' course to intercept Avalon."

"Granted," Riker said, smiling. "Good work, everyone!"

A few minutes later, the four ships jumped to warp and started a journey which would take several weeks.

That evening on Enterprise...

Picard pressed the signal outside Annika's quarters. The door slid open, and he stepped through. He was surprised to find the girl wiping her eyes. It was obvious that she had been crying.

"What is wrong, Annika?" he asked her.

She looked guilty as she turned to face him. He brushed her mind with his, and realized that she didn't want to go back to the collective. She had studied hard, and recently she had been tutored by Wesley who was older than her. She had been in a maturation chamber when the cube she was on was destroyed, and he knew that she was even younger than the fourteen or fifteen that she appeared to be.

She didn't respond, which was unlike her.

"Annika?" He kept his voice soft and concerned. "Please tell me what is wrong."

She sniffled a bit, then said, "I am finding that I enjoy being an individual. I do not wish to return to the collective."

"I see," Picard breathed. He was rather surprised that she would tell him. "You would remain an individual human? How would we get your knowledge to the collective then?"

She held up her chin, and said defiantly. "I find that I do not care how the collective gets my knowledge, or even if it does. That is not my concern as an individual."

Picard smiled at that. "Very well, then," he said. "Neither of us will rejoin the collective then. I have no desire to rejoin either, and I do not believe it would be in your best interest to be sent back alone. You will be allowed to retain your individuality."

As she listened to his words, her mouth dropped open. "You will not force me to return to the collective?"

"Absolutely not, Annika. I happen to believe that being an individual has many benefits that the collective cannot understand. I would not wish for you to lose those benefits."

She seemed to grasp for the proper words, but finally she found them. "Thank you, Admiral Picard." She smiled as she said it, and for the first time since he had started working with her, he saw warmth in her face.

"It is my pleasure, Annika."

Later, in his quarters, he was once more relaxing with Beverly. They spent most of their waking hours in his quarters now, and they enjoyed their evenings, talking about the day, and just spending their time together.

She was sitting on the sofa with him, nestled into his side, gazing at the stars going by. "She honestly does not wish to return now," he told her.

"Does it bother you, Jean Luc, that you know for certain that she's telling the truth. Before, you would have had to trust your command instinct to make the decision of whether to trust her or not."

"I admit, Beverly, that sometimes I miss the 'old days', where life wasn't as sure as it is now. But then, I realize how many people I would not have lost from the crew if I had been Q all my life."

She giggled softly. When he looked inquisitively at her, she explained, "We wouldn't have had to worry about our son, Janus, had we been born Q."

"Speaking of Janus," he said, "you certainly handled him well when we were speaking with The First. He seemed genuinely afraid of you. Would you care to explain?"

She sat up, and her voice had an edge as she said, "Actually, I would not care to explain the 'dog' episode at all." Her voice became softer again, and she explained, "it didn't even happen in this timeline, Jean Luc. It was in the original one, and he was pestering us. I saw it when I became Q."

She stopped talking, and he guessed that she would not say more. "You're not going to tell me, are you?" he asked.

She shook her head, resolutely, but said, "You can look for yourself, Jean Luc."

He looked into the past, and saw both timelines. As he flipped through the years, he came to what he knew was the incident. He watched as Amanda Rogers was working in the medical lab, and Janus appeared. He urged her to break protocol, and artificially reduce the time her experiment was taking. When Beverly came into the room, she found out what had happened, and started lecturing him. Janus stood there, taking it, but with a sly smile, he turned her into a large Irish Setter. She continued the lecture by barking, but Amanda quickly turned Beverly back into herself.

"...and you stay out of mine," Beverly finished, not even aware of what had happened.

"Well, when you put it like that," Janus said, all innocence, "I think you're absolutely right."

"I can certainly see why you are upset with him. I hope this won't adversely affect your mothering him," Picard told Beverly, although he knew her well enough to know that it wouldn't..

"No, Jean Luc, I think I have intimidated him enough. Well, maybe not quite enough, but I will not take it out on a child."

"I knew you wouldn't."

For a time, Beverly was very quiet. Picard patiently sat with his arm around her, then finally asked, "A penny for your thoughts?"

She was quiet for a few more moments, then asked, "What about Annika?"

"What about her?" he wondered.

"She's just a teenager. What will happen to her now? She doesn't want to go back to the collective, but will she ever be free, Jean Luc?"

"You mean will Starfleet keep her locked up and caged?" he asked her.

"Yes."

He sighed heavily before saying, "Admiral Kirk gave me complete latitude in what to do with her. I must confess, I am not sure how to proceed. She has proven that a Borg can be released from the collective and become an individual once again." He paused and thought for a few moments. "I cannot sanction keeping her captive. I suppose we will have to find someone who is capable of raising her as a human now."

"You've done a good job so far, Jean Luc," Beverly said with a glint in her eye. She knew he did not consider himself to be good father material, especially now, in light of how Janus had turned out. She had watched as Picard had raised Wesley almost as a son for several years, and he had turned out much different.

"I do not think my continued guidance of Annika would be to her advantage," he said quickly.

"You've done a wonderful job with Wesley," she countered.

"You are Wesley's mother, Beverly. What he has become has been because of you."

"I think he would disagree, Jean Luc. He has told me how much having you as a father figure has meant to him." She paused for effect, then added, "Besides, we are getting married soon, or had you forgotten? You would not be raising her alone."

Picard considered what she had said. He hadn't said anything to anyone regarding his feelings in the matter of Annika, but it appeared that Beverly had divined them anyway. It was true that he did not want her to be kept captive. They were both ex-Borg, and he felt that if she deserved a lifetime of captivitiy, then he did as well. Were they to be tried for their crimes as Borg, she would be innocent, but he would not. The memories of that hour made him shudder momentarily, and he dismissed them. None of what had happened to either of them had been their own fault, and now that she desired to be released permanently from the collective, he was determined that she should be. "Would you wish to adopt her then?" he asked Beverly.

"Have you forgotten what Janus said? Maribor was one of his sisters. Obviously, there is another one. What if she is Annika?"

Picard felt like groaning. His life was quickly becoming incredibly complicated. He was a Q, Janus was his son. He knew that he would at some time in the future, have a daughter named for a fictional daughter his alter ego had had, and he was contemplating adopting a teenage Borg drone as another daughter. "I'll talk to the Commander and see what he says," he told Beverly. Part of him was hoping Kirk would say no, but he suspected that his great grandfather, while perhaps not being enthusiastic, would give it the okay.

The next morning…

Picard woke to the sound of the intercom. He had spent much of the night talking to Beverly, and had gotten to bed quite late. "Picard here," he said, sounding much more awake than he felt.

"Riker here, Sir. Would you care to join us in Mr. LaForge's office in half an hour? He and some of the Iconians have been working in concert with Doctor Smith on a method of increasing our speed. I think you might find it interesting."

"Certainly, Captain," he said, getting out of bed. He was heading into the shower when the door chime sounded. "Come," he said as he entered the washroom.

When he was finished, he came out and Beverly was laying out breakfast. He glanced at the time, and decided he could afford to take a moment to eat. "I have to be in the engine room in fifteen minutes," he told her as he picked up a piece of toast. "Mr. LaForge and some of the Iconians have come up with a way of increasing our speed, and Will thinks I should be there to hear it."

"Yes, Wesley told me about it last night."

"Oh?" he asked. Riker hadn't told him that Wesley had been working with them, although he supposed that if Hermiod was involved, his quickly rising pupil would be as well.

"It's fascinating. Apparently, it utilizes a slipstream technique to increase the speed of normal warp." She explained what she had heard from her son, and was talking quite in depth about it when she saw Picard's expression and quickly added, "I probably have it wrong in the way it works."

Picard shook his head, "I don't think you are wrong at all, Beverly. In fact, I think you understand it quite well. You seem to have absorbed everything Wesley told you about it, and extrapolated much more."

They finished their breakfast quickly, then went to the engine room. Riker was surprised to see Beverly accompany Picard to the meeting, but he assumed that there was a reason. However, during the course of the meeting, Beverly said nothing, and Picard didn't elaborate on her presence.

Once the meeting was over and tasks assigned, people started dispersing. "Will," Picard said softly to Riker as the captain was leaving.

"Yes, Sir?" Riker asked as he turned around. Samantha O'Neill had not left the room yet either, and Picard asked her to wait as well.

"Please sit down," Picard invited. He then asked Beverly to explain what she had heard from Wesley and the meeting, and hypothesize on what would need to be done for the slipstream drive to work properly.

Beverly spoke for two hours, going well beyond what had been discussed in the meeting they had just attended. Sam listened attentively then smiled and said, "You're Q now, aren't you?"

"Yes," Beverly said.

"How do you know all of that, Dr. Crusher?" Riker wanted to know. "According to what I've heard, being a Q does not make one omniscient, no matter what Janus told us when we first met him."

"No, it doesn't," Sam confirmed. She turned to Beverly. "Did you absorb it from the computer?" she asked.

The doctor thought for a moment. "No," She said, "honestly, I think it's from all those times, listening to Wesley as he would go on and on about his different projects."

"So you remembered the conversations?" Picard asked.

"Word for word," Beverly said. "I could tell you everything about his nanite work, how he accomplished it, what gave them sentience… Everything."

"That's incredible," Riker said. "Is a photographic memory normal for Q, Dr. O'Neill?"

"It's not unusual," Sam answered, "but we normally have to turn it on, or at least concentrate, to have such total recall as Dr. Crusher is displaying. Most Q choose to forget things after a while. Would you really want to remember every second of every day for thousands or millions of years?"

"Do you know how you're doing it, Beverly?" Picard asked.

"Haven't a clue," she answered. "I just know I could quote everything I've ever heard. And the interesting thing is that when I think about it, intuition kicks in, and I have a much greater understanding of what was left unsaid in conversations too."

It took the better part of two days for the engineers to be somewhat confident that the slipstream drive would work. Smith and the twins worked tirelessly, running simulations and testing the entire system for flaws. Finally, they reported to Riker that D was ready to test the system.

On the bridge, Riker sat in the command chair as the massive warp drive prepared to bend space and time to its will. Picard sat to his right, and his wife, Deanna was in her customary place on his left. As the ship surged forward, the stars blurred and streaked out of sight behind them. O'Neill, Nathan Stark,and Daniel Jackson were left far behind as D entered slipstream mode.

"Speed is off the normal charts," the helmsman gasped as he looked at his board. "I can make a rough guess from our navigational computers though. We seem to be near the equivalent of warp 12."

"And we're only at one quarter power?" Riker asked.

"Yes, Sir," was the reply.

"Okay," Riker acknowledged, "take us back to sublight, nice and easy." He turned and said to Picard, "I don't want any bumps at this velocity."

"Agreed," Picard replied. He was gratified that there was still the thrill of new achievement. He was not in the slightest afraid for his own life, but the crew... he felt concern for their safety. He could still feel Jackson and the other Q behind them except for...

The door to the turbolift opened, and Janus stepped onto the bridge.

"What are you doing here?" Riker demanded.

Before the Q could respond, however, Picard said quietly, "I never thought I'd say this, but I'll take responsibility for him being here, Will."

Riker looked shocked at the admiral, but said nothing.

"Going sublight in 5...4...3...2.. Mark!" announced the helmsman.

"Full sensor sweep," Riker ordered, unnecessarily as Hermiod was already calibrating his instruments.

"According to my readings, we were in fact travelling at warp twelve point oh seven six," the Asgard announced.

"Very well," Riker said, "plot us a return trip to the Iconian vessels, and when Hermiod has finished his sensor readings, inform me. Do not enter slipstream without my direct order." He turned to Worf and said, "Contact the Iconians and let them know we were successful."

"Aye, Sir," Worf acknowledged. He looked at his board and announced, "Sir, communications to the Iconian vessels will take approximately two hours."

"Two hours?!" Riker was thunderstruck. "Was there any time dilation in our travel?"

Hermiod checked his instruments. "Negative."

Riker turned to Picard. "In that short amount of flight time we travelled that far? That's impressive!"

Picard nodded his agreement and then told Riker, "I will let Daniel Jackson know that we were successful, Will."

"Thank you, Sir," Riker acknowledged. "That's a big help." He turned to Worf, "I'll be in my ready room."

Picard looked around the bridge, then exited to return to his quarters.

Beverly was sitting on the sofa when he arrived, her legs curled underneath her. She was looking through a large book of black and white photos.

"What is that?" Picard asked when he sat down beside her.

"Ansel Adams," she explained. "He was a twentieth century photographer. He became famous taking photos of Yosemite National Park in California."

"A book?" he was surprised. "Why not on a PADD."

"I don't know, Jean Luc. You've always said that there is something special about reading a book, but I've rarely done it. I thought this table top edition would be interesting."

"So you replicated it?" he asked.

"In a manner of speaking. I looked through the computer version, then made this," she explained. "I just thought about it, and it appeared on the table."

He nodded. "I see," he said slowly. "It strikes me, that we are starting to depend more and more on our powers as Q. I just sent a message for the ship to Doctor Jackson, because we were two hours away by subspace message."

"I take it that the slipstream works well, then," Beverly commented.

"Very well," he affirmed.

"Do you think there is a danger in becoming too dependent on our powers, Jean Luc?" Beverly asked, returning to the former topic.

"I honestly do not know, Beverly." He frowned as he thought about things. "We depend on our speech and technical know how, and I don't find anything wrong with that."

"Perhaps what you're feeling isn't a danger, Jean Luc," she reasoned, "but a reluctance because of Janus. You don't want to become what he was, so you're holding back. As you say, we depend on our speech and technical knowledge for many things, but consider that three hundred years ago, we didn't have warp drive. Look at how the intervening years wouldn't be the same without it."

"I agree that without scientific achievements, mankind would never have reached the stars, and I do not want to sound like one of those people who used to say that if man were meant to fly, he would have been given wings."

"We were given wings, Jean Luc."

He could only nod in agreement with her statement.


	13. Chapter 13

The senior officers of all four ships sat in the conference room of Nathan Stark. Also present were the Twins, Jack and Sam O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, Hermiod and Wesley Crusher.

Picard was seated at the head of the table. He was staring at Sam O'Neill, incredulously. "Explain, 'encased in ice'," he demanded.

"Certainly, Sir," she responded. "We have found Avalon's correct position, but it is inside the comet."

A few hours before, the convoy had arrived at their present location, expecting to find a drifting station. Instead, they had found a comet, lazily spinning in its orbit around the system's star. Hermiod had scanned the comet and found it to be entirely too dense to be ice. There was obviously something to it that they could not see.

"Actually," Eli said, "I think it would be safer to say that the comet is Avalon."

"I don't remember Avalon being made of ice," Jack commented. "Seems to me, it was made out of metal and had big honkin' space guns all over it."

Sam looked at her husband and nodded, smiling fondly. "Yeah, Jack, over the years, however, I think it probably collided with one or two comets, and the ice has built up on its surface."

"Avalon has an AI, Lassie. There's a chance that th' girl knew she might be discovered out here, n' simply camouflaged herself… Or rather himself," Scotty observed.

"That's very true," Eli commented. "It's what I would have done."

Worf looked strangely at Eli, and Sam clarified. "Eli's mind was at one time stuck in Atlantis' computer core. When he was downloaded to his present body, a copy of his mind stayed in the computer, and then duplicated throughout several of our ships. A computer version of Eli volunteered to be the primary AI on board Avalon when we were ready to upgrade the computers."

"So when you say it's what you would have done…" Riker's voice trailed off.

"We can safely guess that Avalon would do the same," Eli completed.

"Can a human mind last for three hundred thousand years without company?" Picard asked.

"Yes, but probably not without going insane," Eli answered. "There are a few other minds in there as well, including a copy of Ginn."

At Riker's confused look, Jack explained, "Ginn is Eli's girlfriend."

"How do we get Avalon out of the ice?" Daniel wanted to know.

"That's actually not a real problem," Scotty told him. "Avalon has a phasing cloak. Assumin' the computer is runnin', all we gotta do is turn it on excludin' ice. She'll come right out of the comet, as easy as ye please."

"And if the computer is offline?" Worf asked.

"The only way the computer would be offline is if there was no power," Geordie explained. "and we'd need to get power to it somehow. But, if that's the case, we might have more problems. If the ice has encroached into the interior, we could use the transporter to clear some of it out."

"If the ice has progressed that far," Riker stated.

Inside Avalon…

There was no sound at all. Frost had long ago condensed on every surface, and the ship had been essentially dead for almost three hundred millennia. It's crew had abandoned ship when they were flung far out into what the Federation referred to as the Gamma Quadrant. A few planets in the galaxy had survived the Doci's death relatively unscathed, and on one of these planets, the crew had managed to settle down. It was irony itself that the planet was also home to the remains of the Aschen civilization and the NPCs who had tried to take over the town of Eureka.

But on the ship, there was no one. The first officer, having been left in charge when The Commander went to deal with the Doci, had told Eli to camouflage the ship, and that had been done before Eli lost power. All power had failed due to fluctuating physical laws, and now, there was no one to restart it.

On the bottom of the mushroom stem of the station, there finally came a sound as ice that had been frozen to the external plating for thousands of years started boiling away. Then there was silence again. For more than two hours, silence reigned once again aboard Avalon, until suddenly, there was a bright light as two figures appeared. They were human. Or rather they appeared to be. One had lighter skin and a mustache, while the other was dark and clean shaven. They both made an adjustement to the controls on their belts and they slowly drifted to the deck plate and their feet adhered.

The darker, smaller man, went to the wall and shone a light on a panel there. "It's like we thought, Scotty. No power at all."

"Aye, Geordie, not surprising. How could an arcturus reactor keep running when the universal laws themselves couldn't decide what was right?"

Geordie nodded as he scraped frost off the control panel. "It's as close to absolute zero in here as I ever want to see!"

"Aye, Lad. I never have liked life support belts. Can't see properly through th' field, but they do have their purpose." Scotty reached up and tapped his communicator. "Enterprise, send the ZPMs, please."

Two meters away, a package solidified in midair. It was a large packing crate and it continued to float in the middle of the corridor. Scotty grabbed the handles on one side, and he and Geordie started the long walk up the corridor towards the reactor room.

Outside, the four ships were clustered around the comet which had proved to be Avalon. Enterprise was directly below the opening her phasers had made in the ice, while the three Iconian vessels were arranged around the perimeter.

On board O'Neill, an alarm sounded. Thor scanned his instruments and saw that a ship was approaching at high warp. He thumbed a switch and told the other three ships what he had detected.

"Confirmed," Eli said from Daniel Jackson. The two Asgard ships had formidable sensors. They wouldn't have been able to distinguish a single Vulcan life sign on a planet full of Romulans, as Enterprise could, but for seeing a ship come in at high warp, several light years away, Asgard sensors were the best.

"Any identification?" Riker asked.

"Negative," Thor responded.

Riker looked to Picard. "Perhaps we should become five ships?" he asked, suggesting that Enterprise should enter battle mode.

Communications were still open, and from the speakers they heard someone say, "Why not six?"

O'Neill was on the Nathan Stark, and he explained. "Harry is here, and he is volunteering to take out his ship."

"Mr. Mudd," Picard said, "I think we can handle things."

"Admiral," Harry said, "I know what Avalon can do. I don't want to see it fall into the wrong hands any more than you do."

Riker shrugged, and Picard sighed. "Mr. Mudd, can your ship fit into the hole in the ice that we made?"

"Well, it's deep enough for several of my ships, and certainly wide enough. If I were to power down, I should be indistinguishable from Avalon."

Sheppard spoke up. "Admiral, if that's the case, how about we hide a few starfighters in there too?"

"That's a wonderful idea, General Sheppard. I think it would be prudent to keep an eye on Mr. Mudd at the same time."

Harry laughed at Picard's skepticism, but he said, "Admiral, I give you my word that I'm on your side."

"I'm sure you are, Mr. Mudd, but you were a military man once. Don't you agree that discretion is the better part of valor?"

Harry nodded, then, since Picard couldn't see him, he said, "Absolutely. I understand completely."

A few minutes later, Harry's ship exited the hanger on Nathan Stark along with a dozen starfighters. They flew into the ice cave, and Picard watched the sensors as one by one, the signatures from their power supplies disappeared.

"Passive radio reception only," Sheppard ordered his fighters."

In the corridors of Avalon, Scotty and Geordie had arrived at the door to the reactor room. The door was frozen shut, with solid ice two feet thick blocking the engineers from even touching the surface of the door.

Geordie drew his phaser, and started clearing away ice from the wall, but Scotty stopped him. "Look outside, Lad"

Geordie let his consciousness drift to the ships outside, and he saw a warship bearing down on them, it's occupants full of religious fervor. "We don't have time," he said to Scotty. "That's a Dominion ship."

"Aye, Geordie. That it is. But I've got an idea for opening this door." Suddenly, Scotty's form blurred, and all that remained of his human body was a face, set in a writhing mass of white energy. He turned, and one of the tentacles of power touched the ice. Where it touched, the ice flashed to superheated steam. It collected as rapidly cooling water on the surrounding surfaces. When the tendril touched the door, the duranium started to liquify, then bubble into a gas. Within moments, he was through the door, and they were able to push the case through the opening.

"That's gonna be a pain to replace, Scotty," Geordie said, noting how the molten duranium had pooled in the track that the door normally would open in.

"Aye," Scotty said as he regained human form. "It'll nae be fun, that's sure, but we're in twenty minutes faster than if we had used the phaser."

Geordie laughed as he manually raised the old ZPM's from their receptacles. "I'm not arguing with your methods, Scotty. If you hadn't got us in the way you did, I would have."

"I kinda figured ye were thinkin' along the same line," Scotty said, unpacking the new ZPMs. Geordie pulled the first one and set it aside, as Scotty handed him the new. Within moments, power was pulsing through the conduits of the massive station.

Unencumbered by the ZPM case, they reverted to energy and sped to the cloaking device control center, inspecting the power supply on the way. They discovered that there were no problems with the multitude of relays and couplings, so after clearing ice out of the way, they activated the cloak, by directly tripping the relays. The ship phased out, and they made their way to the thrusters. They gently nudged the massive station out of the ice, and placed it a few kilometers from the vessels that had brought them there, then went about activating the main controls.

On board O'Neill, Thor was speaking directly to Picard. "Admiral, I wish to make something completely clear. Up till now, there has been no clear leader in our convoy. We have made decisions by consensus, however, I have spoken to O'Neill and Jackson, as well as Eli, and unanimously, we have agreed to defer to your leadership.

"While the title, 'Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet' is impressive, it means little now. The tactics and strategies that I might employ are three hundred thousand years out of date. You led at Wolf 359 against the Borg, showing remarkable leadership in the face of grave danger. Your strategies proved ultimately successful on that day, and now, I ask that you lead here, should we find ourselves in battle again."

"Thank you, Supreme Commander. I will endeavor to keep your confidence from being misplaced," Picard acknowledged.

A few minutes later, a ship dropped out of warp. It was a ship clearly designed for war, well armed, and faced off the other ships without fear.

"We are receiving a message, Captain," Worf announced.

Riker motioned to Picard. "I defer to you as well, Sir," he said smiling.

Picard nodded, and said, "Thank you, Will. On screen," he told Worf.

The face of a humanoid male appeared on the screen. He had dark hair, and very pale skin and eyes. His jawline continued from his chin up to his ear lobes and beyond. "I am Weyoun, of the Dominion. You have trespassed into Dominion territory. You are ordered to drop your shields and prepare to be boarded."

"I am Admiral Picard of the United Federation of Planets. We apologize for trespassing into your space, Weyoun. We are simply collecting a vessel belonging to us which drifted to here, and we will leave."

"A vessel drifting into our space implies that it was without power, therefore, we declare salvage rights. You will drop your shields and prepare to be boarded."

Picard set his jaw. "We will do no such thing. We make no threats, but if you attempt to board any of our vessels, we will defend ourselves."

"That is a threat in itself, Admiral Picard," Weyoun observed.

"No, Weyoun. That is simply a statement of fact. We will not instigate any conflicts, but we will defend ourselves should the need arise."

Weyoun gestured around. "You may think I am outnumbered here, Picard. I assure you that such is not the case. Twelve more ships like this one are on the way. They will be here shortly. Rather than fight a battle you cannot win, I suggest that you submit right now. It will make things go much easier."

Picard started to answer, but at a signal from Riker, he had Worf cut the transmission. "Yes?"

Riker pointed at Worf who spoke. "Sir, signal from Avalon on tight beam. They are cloaked and out of the ice. They await your orders, Sir."

"Now that is good news, don't you think, Will?" Riker nodded, as Picard turned back to Worf. "Signal the other ships, just in case they missed the signal. Also, tight beam laser to General Sheppard and Mr. Mudd. I want them to know what we're up to."

"Aye, Sir," Worf acknowledged.

"There is no way we can allow them to have Avalon, so if they want a fight, they'll get it."

"Do you think they know about it?" Riker asked.

"I think it's a fair bet they knew something was in that comet, and they probably think we can get it out for them."

"We can't get the non-combatants off ship this time, Sir," Riker reminded him.

"I know, Will, but there are greater things at stake."

"Agreed, Sir."

In fact, Picard was extremely concerned about the non-combatants on Enterprise, but short of flashing them to the Federation, he really could not see what else to do.

On Avalon, Geordie picked up one of the depleted ZPMs. With a bit of effort, he was able to use his powers to recharge the ZPM slightly. He also reprogrammed the control crystal, and made the ZPM a super module.

"'Tis a good idea, Laddie," Scotty said. "She'll need th' extra power."

"Yeah, she will. Too bad we don't have time to get the Arcturus online."

"Aye. 'Tis a shame. But, you get those installed, and I'll get the warp reactor online."

"Ok," Geordie said. "How about getting Eli online too?"

As soon as Scotty left, Geordie applied his mind to the other ZPMs, and rejuvenated them to the point that they were serviceable. They were not as good as ones that had never been depleted, but they would work in a pinch. A Q could make them just as good as new, but the energy required to rebuild the crystal was very high for an Ascended.

After he rebuilt them, he had Avalon beam him and the three recharged super ZPMs to the power room and he installed them into the secondary power grid. Then, he switched the grids for the super ZPM to be primary power.

At the door to the main computer room, Scotty looked down at his uniform. He debated changing into a clean suit. He decided against it, and simply went energy again. Once he crossed the threshold, he turned back to matter. The momentary change meant that there was no dirt on his body or clothes. He walked to the main power conduit to the computer core. He knew that the relays, without power, would have reset. He flipped the switches which allowed power into the computer, and watched as the screens around the room lit up.

A couple of moments later, he watched as a hologram formed near the door. "Hello, Scotty," the virtual representation of Eli said.

"Hello, Lad. Are ye fit?"

"Well, according to my scans, it's been around three hundred thousand years since I last saw you."

"Tis true, Lad," Scotty confirmed.

"I suppose, I'm lucky I was offline for the biggest part of that time," Eli commented. He walked over to Scotty and held out his hand. "It's good to see you, Sir."

"Good to see you, too." Scotty looked at a monitor which showed a forward view. In the distance, he could see their ships, and facing them was Weyoun's ship.

On board Enterprise, Picard had been looking at the alien ship as well, but at Worf's announcement that Weyoun wished to speak to them again, his face once more filled the screen. "What is the delay, Admiral? You have not dropped your shields yet."

"No, we have not. Nor will we. I told you that we will defend ourselves if you attempt to board us," Picard returned.

"Admiral, be reasonable. You have four vessels, While I have mine and twelve more on the way. They will be here in just a few minutes. Why draw this out?"

Picard walked to the front of the bridge so that he was standing not five feet from the image of Weyoun. "I don't know much about your dominion, but if you cannot allow someone to retrieve what is theirs, it seems to me that freedom and liberty are something it is severely lacking. It is not my intention to make an enemy this day, but if you are unable to see reason, then my intentions and reality will not coincide."

Weyoun's face contorted into a visage of rage as he slammed his hand down onto the control which broke communications. His face was replaced by a picture of his ship. To the alien's credit, however, he did not fire his weapons. Instead, several ships dropped out of warp and took up positions around the four Federation vessels.

Picard swiftly turned and told Riker and Worf, "Prepare for battle." At Picard's words, Worf touched a control at the top right of his tactical station. This set in motion several actions, not the least of which was the Battle Captain being transported from the main bridge to the battle bridge. He wasn't the only person automatically transported, however. The computer also made sure that all non-combatants were off the battle section, however, since battle stations had been called, the patterns were not rematerialized. In fact, non-combatants were beamed off of the saucer as well. Their patterns were stored in a technological version of a wraith culling buffer that Rodney McCay had devised while working to free the people Todd had rescued.

The patterns were duplicated in buffers on both the saucer and battle section, as battle changes were made to the saucer section. With the zero point power sources on board the ship, the changes were made in little more than fifteen seconds. That response time had been dictated by the particular control Worf had touched. The switch was designed to make the battle changes as quickly as possible, but in so doing, it would use a tremendous amount of power. This wouldn't be a huge problem for a new ZPM trio, but for older ones, that were somewhat depleted, it could be a catastrophic problem. Enterprise's ZPMs had about eighty percent of their life left, and the massive metamorphosis utilized another five percent.

Picard took note of how quickly the changes had been made, and hurried into the battle room off of the side of the bridge. His first thought as he left the bridge was of Beverly and sickbay, until he realized that she was considered a non-combatant now, and she was undoubtedly in a pattern buffer for the duration. His musings were cut short as he heard her voice checking in from sickbay. He then realized what had happened. The computer had known that she was still an active physician, and even though she was no longer Starfleet, she would not be placed in protected memory while her services might be needed.

Weyoun had noticed the massive transporter activity on board Enterprise but wasn't sure what to make of it. He did not see the fighters sitting in their hangers, or the sections of hull which were phased so that solids like the fighters could pass through them, but the internal atmosphere of the ship could not. All he saw was that there was a ship buried in the ice of the comet that he wanted to claim as a prize for the Founders, and these people might have the technological means to free it. He looked at the readout which showed the metallic signature in the comet, and froze. It wasn't there anymore! The comet's mass had dropped by millions of times! What had these Federation people done?

One of the other Vorta, Keevan, ordered his ship to attack Enterprise. He had entered the vicinity and seen no reason why Weyoun was trifling with these ships. Obviously, they had strayed into Dominion space, so they must be dealt with. His attack ship fired from it's position almost directly above Enterprise. The Federation ship did very little, however. Some damage was caused, to be sure, but Keevan was not naive enough to believe his first salvo had damaged the ship below him to the degree that it would be unable to mount a counterattack. His thoughts on the subject were cut short, however, as a collision alarm sounded, and the atmosphere from his ship vented explosively into space.

Weyoun saw atmosphere and debris spilling out of a wound in the side of Keevan's vessel. What was strange was that the hole seemed to have been made from the inside out. It wasn't a gaping maw as one would have expected to see as the result of an explosive. Instead, as his scanners reported in, it seemed to have originated somewhere near the bridge of the vessel, and it extended toward the engine deck, and through the starboard plasma conduits, before it exited the ship near the impulse exhaust vents.

On board Enterprise, the tactical officer announced, "The Dominion attack vessel which fired on us has a hull breach."

Picard didn't respond, but ordered, "Open a channel to Weyoun." Once he saw the Dominion man, he said, "You were warned, Weyoun, that we would defend ourselves if you took aggressive action."

"This action will not go unpunished, Picard," Weyoun responded.

"That would be foolhardy, Weyoun," the Admiral warned.

"You are only four ships, Enterprise' ability to split into two, notwithstanding."

In response, Picard ordered the fighters launched. Several waves of starfighters emerged from the Iconian ships, and Enterprise launched her Federation equivalent. They were the standard Federation Work Bees, attached to attack sled, and they swarmed out of the Starship's hanger decks like their namesakes. Very soon, the ranks of fighters were stationed around the twelve dominion ships. Weyoun's eyes widened as the little ships were scanned and he realized what armaments were mounted on them.

He didn't falter, however. He considered this show of force to be the precursor to a battle, and ordered his ship to attack. The other Dominion ships followed suit, and soon space was filled with energy bolts and dodging fighters.

As soon as the fighting started, Sheppard and his airwing burst from their hiding place in the comet along with Mudd and his ship. Sheppard immediately took his place as the head of the fighters, while Mudd began dodging his ship recklessly in between the Dominion ships, firing phasers at target after target. Most of his phasers had little effect, but they helped as a distraction to the dominion crews.

What made Weyoun's mouth drop open in pure shock, however, was when Avalon decloaked, just outside the battlefield, and opened fire with it's 'watermelon gun', as it had become known. The weapon fired phased slugs, about the size of Terran watermelons, made of neutronium.

With it's first shot, Avalon completely removed two Dominion vessels. The shot was aimed perfectly at a ship's engine room, and when the watermelon unphased, it was inside the warp reactor. It exploded through the side of the reactor, leaving a gaping hole, through which plasma and coolant streamed. The reactor exploded approximately five point seven seconds after the hole was formed, taking the ship and another with it in the blast.

Weyoun quickly changed his tactic. He backed his own vessel out of the line of fire, and watched as another managed to get a good shot on one of the Iconian starfighters. The pilot was killed as the weapons fire went through the canopy, but the little ship remained virtually undamaged otherwise. Weyoun took the opportunity to beam the ship into his cargo hold, then he turned his ship around and fled the scene.

Very quickly, the Dominion vessels were overrun by the Federation and Iconians. However, Picard ordered the damaged Dominion vessels beamed into Avalon's hanger. Once there, the crews were beamed into holding cells while their ships were stabilized to the point that they had life support. The crews were beamed back and the ships were set adrift in a major shipping lane in the gamma quadrant.

The starships were in the hanger of Avalon as well, and as soon as the Dominion ships were released, the huge station phased, and went to warp.


	14. Chapter 14

Avalon was equipped, not only with a warp drive, but a slipstream drive. The twins, in their design, had used information that their younger selves had gained from their experiences with Smith. It had taken a few weeks to get out to where they found Avalon, and it would take a similar amount of time to return. Since the four ships, plus Harry's were docked inside for the trip, the crews were able to take the opportunity to repair any battle damage from their skirmish with the Dominion.

Even though Avalon had been dormant for over two hundred ninety thousand years, there was surprisingly little that needed to be done to repair the huge ship. Virtual Eli ran several diagnostics on it, then told Scotty and Geordie what he'd found.

Thor, Sam, and the twins made whatever repairs were needed, with the help of the crews of the Iconian ships. The Federation engineers could not be allowed to help because of temporal continuity.

Picard, Beverly, Riker, and Deanna all received a tour of the station, personally conducted by the twins. By and large, the design of the station resembled any other Starfleet facility, both inside and out. What was different, other than it's enormous size, was the internal workings.

"The station has the same bio-neural gel packs that the Prometheus class vessels have," Geordie explained.

"Bio-neural gel packs? Prometheus class vessels?" Riker exclaimed. "Those are still on the drawing board! How do you know about them?"

"Laddie," Scotty said mildly, "who d'ya think they called on when they couldn't get the Prometheus workin' right?"

At that, Deanna turned her head away from her husband, and placed a hand over her mouth. Regardless, Riker was certain he heard a stifled giggle from her. "Of course," he said to the twins, smiling himself.

"We can't show you all of what makes Avalon tick, Sir," Geordie explained, "because of the Temporal Prime Directive, but we can show you what everything does."

"But Avalon was made three hundred thousand years ago," Deanna commented, "how can the temporal prime directive be in effect?"

"Aye, Lass. She was built in the past, but she was made with information from th' future."

"How can you even show us the effects of the engineering involved here without breaking the temporal prime directive?" Picard asked.

"Admiral," Geordie said, "if I were to give you an apple grown on a tree, and one produced by a replicator, would you be able to tell which is which?"

"I'm assuming that I don't have access to a DNA scanner?" Picard asked mildly.

"Or your powers, Jean Luc," Beverly added.

"Then, no, I would not," Picard conceded.

"What we have here, is something similar. With Avalon, you'll see things that you see every day, but what creates these everyday things is what we can't show you."

"Avalon uses less than half th' energy t' produce her warp field than ye'd expect," Scotty said with pride. "An' to jump to hyperspace the lass uses as little as O'Neill!"

"When her hyperspace engines work, Scotty," Geordie amended.

"Aye, Lad," the Scotsman said with a sigh, "that's true."

At Iconia Prime…

When Avalon arrived in the Alpha quadrant, it went straight for Iconia Prime. There were a few things on board that the Twins wanted to repair, plus Karl, Smith, and Rose needed to be dropped off there. Karl had asked for refugee status with the Federation, and Smith and Rose, while not feeling the need to go that far, had still requested to be allowed to stay. None of them had anywhere else to go. Picard had granted their requests, and Smith had quickly gotten to work with Hermiod and Wesley Crusher.

Shortly before arriving at the Sphere, all subspace communication was lost. Crusher was on the Bridge, and asked Worf to examine readings from the forward sensors. The huge Klingon did, and muttered an oath. Riker, who hardly ever heard the Klingon swear, turned in his chair and looked up at him. "I am reading several Borg cubes attacking Iconia Prime, Captain."

"Shields up! Battle Stations!" Riker ordered.

Worf reached for the corner of his workstation to transform the ship into a carrier, then stopped. They were on the bridge of Avalon, not Enterprise. He raised shields, and prepared for an attack.

They dropped out of slipstream, and saw at least twelve cubes attacking the flat plane of the sphere. A half dozen cubes left the battle formation and started swarming around the much larger Avalon, taking potshots that would have ripped the smaller vessels in her hold to shreds. They had very little effect on the huge ship, however.

"Shields are holding," Worf called from tactical.

Picard sat down beside Riker, who looked to his superior officer and asked, "Do you want to take command Sir?"

Picard shook his head. "You're doing fine, Will."

Riker accepted the praise and turned to Worf. "Target the cube farthest from us. Ignore those attacking us for now. Let's make an impression on them."

From the Borg perspective, Avalon glided into their vicinity. It completely ignored the cubes that attacked it, and let loose a single shot on their cube leading the attack on the sphere. The shields were up, but they only made things worse for the cube. Because of them, when the explosion came, the force had nowhere to go for a split second. That was all the time needed for the cube to be crushed. The explosion caused a shockwave which reverberated back on the outside of the cube, causing equal incoming and outgoing forces. Every bit of organic material in the cube was crushed to a pulp. This was of negligible consequence, however, as all inorganic material was compressed to at least thirty times its normal density. As soon as the shields went down, the force of the explosion threw chunks of superdense material flying in all directions. Some impacted against other cubes shields, but none got through to damage any hulls.

On Avalon's bridge, Riker's mouth dropped open as he watched the destruction of the cube. "What did you hit them with?" he asked Worf.

"A 'watermelon'," Worf explained proudly, using the Twins, euphemism for the phasing slugs.

Picard simply watched, speechless, as the remaining cubes quickly vacated the area and went to warp.

In Iconia Prime...

The Eiffel Tower stood high over the Champ de Mars. Picard and Beverly had visited the Iconian Paris shortly after it was repopulated. They found it to be a beautiful city, and interestingly, Merlin had a vineyard only a few miles from it. The vineyard produced a very good wine, labelled Chateau Picard, and the Wizard and Robert Picard had met and spoke about their individual recipes at length. In the Admiral's opinion, Robert's wine was superior, but not by much. Although the experience of drinking wine over 300,000 years old and grown by his future self in the past was a unique experience.

Today, Picard was standing at the edge of the grass on the Champ de Mars, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. He was surrounded by friends and well wishers. No one was looking at the metal tower. Instead, all eyes were focused on Beverly Crusher, slowly walking up the aisle between two banks of chairs. She was on the arm of her son, Wesley. When they arrived at the front of the assembly, they stopped. All present looked expectantly at the man performing the ceremony, a man who had become a good friend to both of them. Daniel Jackson beamed. In all the time since his first meeting of this man, he never once guessed that he would have the privilege of officiating at the old wizard's wedding.

"We are here today to celebrate the love between Beverly Cheryl Crusher and Jean Luc Picard, and to bear witness to their commitment. The group gathered here today, represents the people who are most important and influential in their lives.

"Who gives Beverly away in marriage to this man?"

"I do," Wesley announced. He hugged his mother, and then handed her off to Picard.

"Marriage is a permanent commitment which should not be undertaken lightly," Jackson began. "It is more than just sharing the good times, but being together in the bad times. It is sticking with each other through whatever life may bring."

In the crowd, Janus sat, watching as his parents recited their vows to each other. It was a situation that would strain the mind of most people, but for him, attending the wedding of his parents, at a time in their lives before he was even born, was par for the course. He looked over at Guinan, who was also present, and smiled. She gave him a look that spoke volumes, and he raised his eyebrows in surprise. He knew that the rift between them would take a long time to heal, but he was hoping it wouldn't be a problem on this occasion. He didn't want to ruin it for their parents.

After the ceremony, was a reception. Lwaxana Troi, Deanna Riker's mother, made her way to Picard and Beverly to congratulate them. There had been a time when she was going through the "Phase", where she had tried to seduce Picard, but that had been several years before. Now, she was happy to see the newly married couple together.

The Picards were speaking with a dignified looking man she had never seen before. He had greying hair in a fringe around the sides and back of his head, and a silver goatee and mustache. When he turned so she could see his face more directly, she saw that he was a Jaffa, and a highly ranked one at that. His mark was that of Apophis, and in gold, not just an ink tattoo.

Picard saw her approaching and to her amusement, grimaced a bit. However, he recovered very quickly, and replaced the look with a warm smile. Lwaxana knew that only she and Picard would realize what his true feelings were, but that was fine as far as she was concerned. She was fully aware of what others thought of her. It was hard to be Betazoid and not be. She was also fully aware that it was her own actions which drove that annoyance, but as she was one of the most powerful telepaths on Betazed, she had had to compensate or be driven crazy. By making people form the opinion of her own choosing, she was able to handle the influx of emotions aimed at her.

She arrived in front of Picard and Beverly, beside the unknown Jaffa. "Mrs. Troi," Picard said, considerably more eagerly than he felt, "how wonderful it is to see you!"

Normally, she would have corrected him on the matter, but since it was his wedding day, she simply said, "You as well, Jean Luc." She embraced Beverly, and commented, "You look wonderful, Beverly! Congratulations!" Then she turned to the Jaffa.

Picard, realizing what she wanted said, "Master Bra'tac, Lwaxana Troi."

"Indeed," Lwaxana said, holding out her hand and eyeing the Jaffa up and down.

"Charmed," Bra'tac said, taking her hand and kissing it. The woman was just slightly shorter than him, and he was able to look her in the eye without looking down. She also exuded a confidence that was almost palpable. Bra'tac sensed that she was a formidable woman.

He excused himself from Picard and Beverly, and was interested to take note of the fact that she did not spend more time than was necessary talking with them either. Very quickly, she too excused herself, and found him by the food table.

"Master Bra'tac," she said as she picked up a plate of hor d'oeurves, "I see that you were previously in the service of Apophis."

"You know your Goa'uld marks well," he observed. "I was the first prime of Apophis."

"I see. So was Teal'c your apprentice then?"

"Yes, Madam. He was."

He took in her complexion and dark eyes. "You are a Betazoid?"

"Yes, I am," she answered. She couldn't sense much from his mind, but she was surprised that he could tell.

He nodded, and seemed to sense her curiosity. "I am the Iconian security commander for Betazed," he explained. "I command the city ship, Chulak."

The two walked over to a bench and sat down. They talked together to the exclusion of all others for quite some time, only realizing the time when the light started to dim.

At Earth...

Picard walked into his great-grandfather's office at Starfleet Command. He had scheduled this appointment on Avalon's trip to Earth from Iconia Prime, but he hadn't told the the Commander what he was wanting to discuss. However, the recommendation was in his report, and the Admiral could probably read between the lines. Kirk was seated at his desk, and looked up when he entered the room. "Jean Luc, it's good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, Sir," Picard responded.

"How was Iconia Prime?" Kirk asked. He had, of course, been there for the wedding, but he had come back two weeks before while Picard and Beverly stayed for a short honeymoon at Merlin's estate.

"It was good," Picard said as he sat in one of the plush chairs facing Kirk's desk.

"I'm assuming that you probably didn't get out much, though," Kirk speculated. Picard didn't respond, so Kirk changed the subject. "I've looked over your reports on the Borg girl, Annika." He looked carefully at his great-grandson's face. "Are you sure you wish to do this, Jean Luc?" He watched as Picard seemed to mull things over, and added, "Right now, we're not Starfleet, Jean Luc. We're family. Are you sure?"

Picard nodded his head, and responded, "Beverly and I have talked about this at length, and I've seen inside Annika's mind. She wants to be human, and I think the best chance she has for that, is if I raise her as one."

Kirk slowly nodded his head. "Ok then. I told you that what you decided as far as the Borg is concerned, goes. I'll contact Sam Cogley this afternoon and have him draw up the papers. After you sign, I want you to take your airwing to Bajor. With all the problems you had in the gamma quadrant, I think it would be a good idea to monitor the situation from the edge of our space."

"I agree, Sir," Picard answered, falling easily back into his role as a Starfleet officer once again. "How have the Cardassians and Ferengi been handling the Borg incursion?"

"Not as well as we have, Jean Luc," Kirk answered. "They don't have nearly as effective weaponry as we do, and the Borg have adapted to what we can throw at them. This makes them much worse for our neighbors."

"Understood," Picard said. "What will be the political ramifications for this?"

"I suppose," Kirk speculated, "that one could make the argument that the Federation has seriously hurt the Cardassians, Ferengi, and Romulans because of our friendship with the Iconians. Of course, whether we became friends with the Iconians or not, the other empires would have been in the same fix. The difference would have been that we would be there right along with them."

"We did offer our assistance," Picard reminded him. "The Cardassians turned us down flat. The Romulans never answered. Only the Ferengi were smart enough to accept our help."

"Someone probably figured out an angle that would turn a profit somehow," Kirk said ruefully.

"I would definitely suspect that is what happened," Picard agreed, smiling, "but I would not say that outside this room, Commander."

Kirk gave him a lopsided grin. "Neither would I." He turned serious. "Take care out there, Jean Luc."

"I will," Picard said, standing. He thanked his great grandfather, then headed out to wait for the call about Annika from Cogley. He wanted to speak to him about another matter as well.

Cogley contacted Picard early the next morning. In his capacity as lead counsel for Starfleet, he had been told that Picard was heading to Bajor with his airwing. Because of that, he had spent all evening preparing the necessary paperwork.

"Hello, Jean Luc," he greeted Picard as he and Beverly entered the office, followed by Wesley Crusher and a teenage girl with short blonde hair.

"Hello, Sam," Picard returned. "I believe you know Beverly and her son, Wesley." He gestured at the teenage girl who had accompanied them. "This is Annika Hansen. I believe Admiral Kirk informed you about her."

"Yes, he did." Cogley held out his hand to the girl. "Hello, Annika. I'm pleased to meet you."

"I am pleased to meet you, too, Mr. Cogley," she said, her voice trembling only slightly.

Cogley caught the quaver of her voice and wanted to be sure what the cause was. "Do you understand why we're here, Miss Hansen?"

"Yes, Mr. Cogley." This time her voice was strong.

"And do you wish for Admiral and Mrs. Picard to adopt you?"

"Yes, Sir. I do."

"I wondered, because of the trembling in your voice. May I ask why that occurred?"

"I am not used to meeting new people, Mr. Cogley. I am still unsure of how to act in such an occasion," the girl explained.

"Well, you are doing fine now." He switched his focus to Picard and Beverly. "I just need you to sign the forms, and I'll take them to the circuit judge tomorrow. There should be no problems."

"Thank you, Sam. I do have one more request. I would like to adopt Wesley as well," Picard explained.

Cogley looked at Beverly, who was smiling, and Wesley who seemed expectant, then back to Picard. "Wesley is an adult. Am I to assume this is an act to publicly acknowledge the relationship that is already present?" At Picard's affirmative, Cogley went on. "Ok, Jean Luc. Let me get another form. I'll just have my secretary type it up, and you can sign it as well." He turned back to Wesley. "Just for the record, young man, this is what you wish as well?"

"Yes, Sir, it is," Crusher nodded enthusiastically.

"Ok, then. I'll get it done," Cogley said.

Once they were done at Cogley's office, the four transported back to Avalon, where Enterprise was still docked inside the immense structure. The station would be remaining in Earth orbit now, as a Starfleet facility. Picard and Riker had both seen first hand what the armaments on board could do with the Borg. If the Federation came under attack from anywhere, it was highly unlikely that it would be a serious problem now.

On Avalon...

Vala Jackson was concerned. She had seen a man in the rec room who had simply stared at her. She was concerned because she didn't know the man. Normally, if she was stared at, it was because she had cheated the person in a business deal. On such an occasion, she would remember the starer. But this time, she didn't know who he was. What was more concerning was that after the incident in the rec room, she saw him staring at her in the mess hall, and twice, she noticed him following her, but he ducked out of sight when he realized she had seen him. She determined that she would ask Daniel about it that evening.

"Daniel, I met someone today who couldn't take his eyes off me," she said when they were alone in their quarters. The look Daniel gave her was particularly nasty. "I don't mean that way, Silly. He was just staring at me, and it gave me the creeps."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't enjoy it," Daniel said. "Who was he?"

"I don't know. I've never met him before. I didn't meet him this time really. I just saw him."

"Well," Daniel said, "let's look at the security tapes and see who he is." He turned to the computer display on the desk and said, "Computer, display the…" He turned to Vala.

"Rec room," she supplied.

"Rec room at…" He looked again at her.

"1330 hours."

"1330 today." The display lit up, and they could see several people in the rec room, some playing games, others chatting over coffee or tea. Vala walked into the room, and several people turned to look at her, mostly men, Daniel noted. Most looked away after they saw it was her, but one man didn't. As Vala said, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. "Him?" Daniel asked. Vala nodded, and Daniel enhanced the image.

It was a young man, probably mid to late twenties, longish light brown hair. Daniel stared at the image. Somehow, he thought he should know this man, but how? Suddenly it hit him. "Computer, is Ca'Rel on board?"

"Affirmative," the computer announced.

"Locate him and display." The screen changed, and it showed a schematic of the corridor outside their rooms, with a blinking dot off to one side.. Was this guy stalking his wife?

"Ca'Rel," Vala said. "I recognise the name. Isn't he one of the Ancient starfighter pilots?"

"Yes, he is, but something isn't right. I feel kinda funny about this," Daniel answered her. "Let's see what is up."

They went to the door, and it whooshed open. Daniel looked out and caught sight of Ca'Rel right before he ducked into a cross corridor. "Ca'Rel, why don't you come and talk to us rather than hiding. I'd like to know why you seem to be stalking my wife."

The man stepped into the open, took one look at Daniel and turned absolutely pale. The Jacksons both ran to his side and caught him before he fell, although he managed to slump against the wall. They got him into their quarters and called Allison.

Before she arrived, the man was sitting up, although he was still very white.

"What's wrong, Ca'Rel?" Daniel asked.

"Actually, it's Karl," the pilot said, looking from one of them to the other. "You should know my name! What are you two doing here? Am I dead?"

"What?!" Vala asked. "You're not dead," she exclaimed, "and as for why we are here, Daniel is the vice chancellor. I'm his wife. Why wouldn't we be on an Iconian vessel. And why should I know your name? I've never met you before."

"You've never met me?" Karl looked indignant. "What are you talking about?" Suddenly he had a thought. "Oh felgercarb! You're cylons! That's why you don't know me. You're just copies! Frack! My parents are skinjobs!"

"Karl? Daniel, Vala! What happened?" Allison Carter rushed into the room. She pulled out a scanner and ran it over the seated man.

"He went white and started talking about… whatever he's talking about," Vala explained.

"There's something very wrong with him, Allison," Daniel said. "He doesn't recognize me."

"I do too recognize you! You're Daniel Thrace, my father. And she's my mother, Vala Agathon!"

Vala was totally confused, and the look she gave Daniel said as much. "What's going on?" she asked no-one in particular.

Allison shook her head. "This is Karl Thrace. We found him on that barren world with his robot friend. He calls the robot Cy. Short for cylon, I guess."

"I am not a robot!" Vala exclaimed indignantly.

"Of course not," Karl almost yelled. "I said you were skinjobs! Humanform cylons. Not real people!"

Daniel motioned for Vala to accompany him. In the corridor, they met Teal'c. He had heard the commotion inside the room and was concerned for his friends. Daniel quickly explained what was happening.

Teal'c nodded his head sagely. "I see," he intoned. "Has it occured to you, Daniel Jackson, that we now have two Karl Thraces within the Alliance? Ca'Rel, the man we have known for several years, and Karl Thrace, the man who is sitting in your quarters, terrified because his parents don't recognize him."

"Teal'c, I'm pretty sure that I'm not that man's father," Daniel said.

"That is what Jean Luc Picard thought about Janus," Teal'c informed him.

Daniel paused and then looked at Vala. She was leaning against the bulkhead, looking scared.

"You think he's right, Teal'c?" Daniel asked.

"Just a moment ago, I looked through his history and I found both of you there," the huge Jaffa said.

Both of the Jacksons were silent for a long moment. Finally, in a small voice, Vala said, "Show me."


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: We do not own Stargate, BSG, Eureka, or Star Trek. We are just fans.
> 
> It is said that when you have two contradictory versions of the same story, the truth often lies somewhat in between. Thus, we are giving a version of Battlestar Galactica which lies somewhere in between the two shows. We hope you enjoy.

Teal'c, Vala, Daniel, and the two versions of Karl, plus Karl's sister, Ca'Ra, were seated in the Jackson's quarters on board Avalon. Allison had insisted that she be present, but Teal'c had pointed out that there was very little she could do under the circumstances. To mollify her, two more people were expected to appear. Merlin and Che'Ryl. Picard and Beverly had been warned that they needed to stay away from the station for the time being as their future selves would be present for awhile. Thus, the six people in the room were waiting for Enterprise to leave, so Merlin and his wife could arrive. In all the time the Q had been in existence, the exact physical distance necessary between different versions of the same Q had never been determined. No one wanted to figure it out.

There was a flash, and Merlin was in the room, standing beside Che'Ryl. "Enterprise has gone to warp," he informed them. He turned to the Karls and Ca'Ra. "Hello. It's nice to see you again." Karl looked confused, but Ca'Rel and Ca'Ra both smiled and expressed similar sentiments. "My name is Merlin," the wizard explained to Karl.

"Hello, Merlin," Karl said. "Pleased to meet you."

"I know you haven't met me yet, but your later self has, as you can see," Merlin explained further.

"So Ca'Rel is an older version of me?" Karl asked, shaking his head. "I'm gonna have a headache before we're done here, I'm sure."

"That's not certain, actually," Che'Ryl said.

"No, I'm quite certain I'm gonna have a headache," Karl quipped.

"That's not exactly what I meant," Che'Ryl said smiling. "Ca'Rel, do you remember being Karl in this instance?"

Ca'Rel thought for a moment. "It's pretty close," he said. "It's been a long time, however, and my memory isn't what it once was."

"Felgercarb!" Ca'Ra said, disguising it as a cough.

Ca'Rel laughed. "Ok, yeah. I remember being Karl. I remember sitting in this very room, completely bewildered about what was happening." He turned to Karl. "Yeah, I'm you, or an older version of you anyway." He started to turn to Ca'Ra, but turned back to Karl. "Oh… By the way, the number you're thinking of is seven, but that's not really a good way to see if I'm really you. There's a one in ten chance I'd get it right, ya know?"

"True, but the fact that you knew I was thinking of it says a lot," Karl countered.

"That's true. And before we go on, seven million, six hundred forty-five thousand, two hundred eighty-three. Satisfied?"

Karl smiled slightly but said nothing.

"Yeah," Ca'Rel said, in answer to a long ago thought. "We could go on like this all night, but we've got more important things to do. I've known for a long time about Daniel and Vala being my parents. You, and they, are going to find out about it now. Are you ready?"

Daniel looked at Ca'Rel in surprise. "How come you never said anything before?"

Ca'Ra smiled, and said, "Dad, do you really have to ask that?"

Daniel was taken aback. Her calling him 'Dad', brought home the realization of what was happening. What had happened. He thought about the things he had had to keep secret from his friends, and shook his head.

"Yeah. I understand. It wasn't time for me to know."

"No, it wasn't," Ca'Ra confirmed. "You started out very different than you are now."

"So are they skinjobs?" Karl asked.

The look of distaste on Ca'Ra's face was so strong that Karl almost shrank back from her.

"Karl, I'll thank you not to use that term again. I know that for you, the battle is still very much a present thing."

Ca'Rel held up his hand and his sister stopped. "Karl," he said, "you aren't part of the Colonial / Cylon battle anymore. I can tell you that much. You know how your friendship with Cy has gone. You know that there really is no reason for the fight, and people with much more influence than we ever had are soon to realize that too, so calling someone a 'skinjob', while it might make you feel superior, is just crass. Besides, if you think about it: what does it make you if you're the child of humanform cylons?"

Karl slowly nodded his head, then turned to Daniel and Vala. "I'm sorry for calling you that."

Vala smiled brightly. "I have no idea what the term means, and even if I knew, from what I can tell, we haven't even established if it fits anyway, so…. You're forgiven."

"Before we go any further, here, I think it would be easiest to allow Daniel and Vala to experience the past," Merlin announced.

Che'Ryl nodded agreement, and Teal'c said, "Indeed. If we try to explain, we will give too much knowledge of what is to happen. We will, in effect, be violating the temporal prime directive."

"Agreed," Merlin responded. "Teal'c, it is you who must take Vala back."

Teal'c held out his hand to Vala and said, "Come with me."

Vala shrank back for a moment, and said. "Wait a moment. What about Daniel? What's going on? I know that you Q know, but I'm just ascended. I don't have any idea what's happening right now."

"I give you my word, Vala Jackson," Teal'c told her, "that you will be fine. Daniel Jackson is already there, so he has no need to go. No harm will come to you, and in fact, you must save Daniel Jackson when the time comes, as he is not a Q in the time we are travelling to."

Hesitatingly, she held out her hand and grasped his. As she did, her surroundings swirled and she found herself standing on a road outside a huge city. She turned to Teal'c who had accompanied her. "Where are we?"

Caprica…

"We are in a different galaxy, on a planet called Caprica," he told her. "We have gone back in time a considerable distance. This is where Daniel spent his childhood, although he was not born here. In fact, he was not born in the traditional manner at all. He is in the city, which is also called Caprica."

"So is he an adult now, or a child?" she wanted to know.

"He is an adult, and in fact looks very much like he does in our own time period. I can give you very little guidance, although I will be here at times when you need me," Teal'c told her, then he simply faded away and was gone.

She looked around, calling "Muscles!" several times, but got no response. "Teal'c! This is one of those times when I need you!" Still no response. Finally, she shrugged and started walking toward the city.

Before long, a car came along the road. It looked a lot like an Earth car, but it seemed to be an older model. She stepped to the side of the road, and stuck out her thumb. She hoped that the Earth hitchhiking symbol would work here. The car slowed, and stopped, and the driver stuck his head out. "Need a ride?" Daniel asked her.

Vala fainted.

Sometime later...

Vala awoke laying on a bed. She sat up and stared around her. She was in a comfortable room, and she felt very much at home. It was kept neat, like Daniel insisted their house be kept. Daniel! She remembered now. He had stopped and offered her a ride.

"Hello," a familiar voice said.

She turned her head and saw Daniel standing in the doorway to the room. "Hi," she said.

"I'm Daniel. Daniel Thrace." When she didn't answer right away, he prompted, "And you are…?"

"Vala. Vala Agathon." She hadn't consciously used the name, but as soon as she said it, she remembered that Karl had mentioned the name in their living quarters on Avalon.

Daniel held out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Vala. You gave me quite the scare. I almost took you to the hospital."

"Why didn't you?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said. "It just didn't seem right, for some reason."

"Really?" Her tone challenged him to explain.

"I was on my way back from a dig. I'm an archaeologist. I'm supervising a dig in the mountains. We've found some interesting artifacts from the last cycle."

When he stopped speaking, Vala wondered, "What does that have to do with anything? "

"I really can't explain it. I just felt like I shouldn't just drop you off at the hospital."

"And does the dig have anything to do with it?" Vala asked.

"I don't know," he admitted.

"Well," she said brightly, "I know something about archeology. Why don't you tell me about the dig."

"Tell you about the dig? Ok... Well..." It was strange, but somehow he knew he could trust this strange woman. "Do you know about John Cavil?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Should I?" she asked.

Something in her tone told him that she was not saying, 'of course I have... What about him?' instead, she knew nothing of him. "He's one of the men in charge of this area. Are you alright? You should at least know who he is." He stepped close as if to help her.

She smiled her best, most disarming smile. "Of course I'm fine, Daniel. Why wouldn't I be? "

"For one, you don't seem to know who the governor of Caprica is. Two, I'm no expert on women, but the way you just said 'I'm fine, Daniel' fairly reeked of a familiarity that, correct me if I'm wrong, we don't have." He paused for a moment to let his words sink in. "Now the first one, I could explain by amnesia of some kind, in which case you'd need to see a doctor. You could also just be out of touch with civilization. But none of those would explain why I have the feeling that you know me pretty well. Very well, actually. "Daniel sat down on the edge of the bed

"Obviously, you aren't as smart you think, then. I'm just very friendly. As far as Governor Cavil... "

" He's not the governor. He's head of the university. "

" He's..." she stopped for a moment. "Now that's not fair Daniel! You know as well as I that... " She stopped and bit her lower lip.

"Now," Daniel said, folding his arms, "would you please tell me why you seem to know me, but obviously aren't from around here?"

"Honestly Daniel, I don't understand myself." At the look on his face, she quickly added, "I don't need to see a doctor. I haven't got amnesia, nor do I need to see a psychiatrist. I'm fine." She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. The expression on his face was still skeptical. "All I know is that the doctors wouldn't be able to help me remember anything, because I haven't forgotten anything. I am new here. As to why you think I know you, I don't. I know someone like you. His name happens to be Daniel too. I guess I was just projecting what I know of him onto you. I'm sorry."

He didn't answer for some time. Finally, he said, "Alright. I'll accept that. For now," he added after a pause. With that, he turned and went into the sitting room.

She thought for a moment, silently vowing not to underestimate him again. Daniel was perceptive, and she knew it. What she wasn't prepared for was the fact that this younger Daniel was as perceptive as her husband. Teal'c hadn't taken the time to fill her in on what was happening, but she was able to use her own ascended powers to probe his mind. What she found was fascinating. His own powers had kept her from probing very deeply before. Basically, he had let her feel his emotions, but not to sense his innermost thoughts. But with this younger version, she could go as deep as she wished. She felt somewhat guilty, probing as deeply as she did, but consoled herself with the knowledge that her husband would have permitted it under the circumstances.

She made sure that her probing wouldn't be noticed by him, but she was mildly surprised to note that he was virtually psychically null. She could sense that he found her attractive and just because she could, she probed a bit deeper there. This was something she would point out to him the next time he said he wasn't turned on by her from the start. She turned her attention to his knowledge of the current situation in and around Caprica. She quickly absorbed all that he knew, even to the social niceties and how they worked. Then, she sat back and scanned what she had absorbed.

She wasn't surprised at his intelligence. She had known of that, but the sheer volume of information he held in his active memory was surprising. It took her far longer to go through the information than she would have expected - close to ten seconds. Once she had taken in his information, she sat and pondered. Daniel wasn't a normal human. Karl had been right, as far as Daniel was concerned anyway. Her husband was indeed a cylon but what the normal born humans of the Colonies thought a cylon was, was a far cry from reality. There were eight of them. The significant eight, as they referred to themselves. There were others too, that the humans didn't know about. They were the final five of the thirteenth colony. Of course, Daniel wasn't privy to what the thirteenth colony was, but he did know that these five were scientists. They were originally seven biologists that had been stationed on a planet, studying the indigenous species, when they received the unbelievable news that their species had been destroyed. On their way to see for themselves, they stumbled through the mouth of a wormhole, and found themselves near Caprica.

On the way, they had begun adapting a technique developed to save endangered species, to be used on their own race. The rationale was that they were now an endangered species themselves. They were soon able to perfect the resurrection technique, but they lost two of their number before that.

Soon after they arrived at Caprica, they met with the leaders of the cylons. They offered the resurrection technology to them as a means of becoming biological. The only stipulation was that the war with humans end. The cylons accepted, realizing the advantages they would have, and the eight were made. The first human-form was not entirely successful, however, and didn't adapt to being human-form very well. It's mind had not been modified, and was still designed to be placed into a mechanical body. John Cavil, as the personality was named, longed to be mechanical, as his mind thought he should be.

The second was Leoben, and he was programmed to be placed into a human body at infancy. He learned what it was to be human in the same way a human child would learn. His programming was quite successful and the talents which had been programmed into his mind were used when he reached adulthood and became an analyst for the Colonial Intelligence Service.

Leoben had been so successful that D'Anna Beers was designed in the same way. However, the experiment that was her personality was designed to test her creativity. To that end, when she reached adulthood, she became a news reporter.

The next three were Aaron the dissenter, Simon the doctor, and Natalie. They were all designed for specific purposes. Natalie was programmed to be as feminine as possible. It was wondered it she would be as appealing to human men as a real human female.

Daniel was the seventh. His strengths were in languages. However, they were countered, in a small part, by the strengths from the others, even from Natalie. What was duplicated from her, however, was her strength of will, which had proven to be her biggest strength. Sharon, the eighth, was basically a female counterpart to Daniel. She had the qualities of the others, but unlike him, her future was unforeseen. What she would do with her life was up to her.

Vala wasn't sure what to make of Daniel's origins. She reminded herself that he was the same Daniel he had always been. All that had changed was her perception. Obviously, there was little difference between him and a normal human, anyway. He had become Q just as easily as Jack and Teal'c.

The next morning, she got up to a strangely normal smell. Obviously, there was bacon frying and coffee brewing, so she made her way to the kitchen. She stood silently in the doorway, watching him cook. She thought of what she knew from his own mind. Did her Daniel know of his origins? He had confided in her that he was adopted, so he knew that much at least. However, telling her that he was designed as a biological robot was very different. Nothing has changed with him, she told herself. He's still the same person he's always been. You are the one who's changed. You know something about him that you weren't supposed to know. That's why humans aren't meant to be telepathic. She suddenly sensed him watching her.

"How are you this morning?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Daniel," she lied. "And how are you?"

"I'm doing pretty good," he answered. "I will say, however, that you need to work on your delivery when lying. You're not very convincing."

She recoiled, and he explained, "I have an ability to see things. I can usually tell if someone is lying or not. I see the twitches in the face, the tension in the stance. I can even see a pulse on a neck. You are not fine, Vala. You're bothered by something. I'm not going to press for what it is, but I know it's there."

"Well," she said, "My problems are my own. You don't need to worry about them. I'll be fine soon, even if I'm not right now."

"Ok," he said simply. "I thought we could head out to the dig. I'll show you what I do."

"I think that sounds wonderful," she said, grateful for a change of subject.

Daniel smiled. "Great!" He placed a plate of eggs and bacon on the breakfast nook table, and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you like your coffee?" he asked.

An hour later, they were again in his car, but this time heading out of town.

At the Dig...

Daniel helped Vala down the ladder into the room he had been clearing. "I've been working in here. I've found some things I'm pretty certain society as a whole doesn't want known." He faced her and said, gently testing, "Certain ideas might tend to damage people in leadership roles.

She understood what he was doing and why, but she couldn't simply say that she wouldn't turn against him. That would appear too eager and might scare him off. Instead, she asked, "Do you want to hurt those people?"

He shook his head. "No. Not really. What I want is for the truth to be told. You see, this dig isn't old, and I don't mean just in archaeological terms. It's really quite young - only a few decades." Again, he gauged her reaction.

"Oh," she said. "That's too young to be buried naturally, Daniel. Either it's an artificially created site or you're wrong on your age. "

"I'm not wrong," he insisted.

"I'm sure you're not," she agreed, "but don't you find it way too young?". He said nothing, but nodded as he turned to look around. She knew he was holding back the information about Cavil, but she understood why.

Cavil, the first humanform cylon, had vowed to become a mechanical as his mind told him he should be. To do that, he would stop at nothing, and would sacrifice anyone who stood in his way. Daniel had tried to stop him before, and had narrowly escaped being killed.

"I don't know you," Daniel said cautiously. "How do I know you aren't a new cylon that looks completely human?"

"What do you mean, 'a new cylon that looks completely human?'" Vala asked, "Are you saying that the cylons have made some sort of humanoid?"

"I think this dig supports that theory."

"If they've made cylons that appear completely human, how do I know you're not one?" she asked.

"I took you to my home, took care of you, gave you food and drink, and didn't argue with you when you said you didn't want to go to the hospital. If I was a cylon, would it make a difference?"

She weighed her words carefully. "What would be the difference between a cylon and a human?"

The expression on his face was one of suspicion. "If I was a cylon, then I would say that cylons are more civil than humans, by the evidence of how I have treated you. From what I have seen, most humans aren't as decent to each other."

She nodded in agreement and said, "There are exceptions to every rule, Daniel."

He cocked his head and asked, "So since I treated you right, do you feel that I could not be a cylon? "

"Not at all. I'm not discounting any possibility. If you're right about the significance of this dig, then I realize that you could very well be one."

He digested her words for a moment, then they spent a few hours looking at the dig. He was impressed with her knowledge of archaeology, and even commented on one occasion that her interpretation of certain information seemed identical to his own. When they left, he took her to his favorite restaurant in Caprica before heading home.

Several months later...

Vala had been with Daniel for quite some time. They had formed a relationship over the course of a few months, and were planning on marriage.

Daniel was working at the dig one afternoon, while Vala, who was having trouble with nausea in the morning, was home. When Daniel arrived home, he was surprised to find her absent. He went into the dining room and noticed an envelope with his name and no address propped against a vase in the center of the table.

He picked up the envelope and immediately recognized the handwriting on it. He gingerly lifted the flap and peered inside. There was a folded piece of paper inside, and he withdrew it.

Daniel;

As you have no doubt guessed, I have something of great importance to you. You are well aware that I will do whatever is necessary to further my cause. I have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. Meet me at the dig at 20:00 hours tonight.

I know you are too smart for me to have to warn you about contacting the authorities.

Daniel placed the paper back in the envelope and glanced at his wristwatch. He had two hours. He went to his car and retrieved his gun, double checked the clip, and set the weapon on the passenger seat. Then he got back in his car and drove away.

Vala was sitting in an armchair in Cavil's office. Sitting across the desk from her was Cavil, himself. She had tried sweet talking him, bullying him, and threatening him, but to no avail. Nothing seemed to work on him. Well, she thought, I can see why he wants to become mechanical. He's basically that now. As if to confirm her thought, she watched as Cavil slowed, and stopped moving. It was eerie. "Cavil?" she said. No response. "John Cavil? Are you alright?"

"He cannot hear you, Vala Jackson," came a familiar voice. She whirled and found Teal'c standing behind her.

"Muscles!" she exclaimed. She stood up and faced him, then very deliberately reached up and slapped his face. "Where have you been?" she almost screamed at him.

"I have been here, Vala Jackson. But I cannot interfere in the way things happened. I give you my word, however, that I will not leave until I take you back to your own time."

"You said you'd be here if I needed you! Well, I'll tell you, I have needed you almost constantly since you left me here."

"You underestimate your strength of character, Vala. And that of Daniel; even the Daniel of this time period. You both have inner strength that will carry you through this time. For example, right now, Daniel is planning a way of liberating you from John Cavil, and he will succeed. Do not worry, Vala Jackson. You have a few years left in this time period. The twins within you will be born and, as you have no doubt ascertained, will become Karl and Kara," Teal'c told her.

"Twins?" Vala asked, smiling. "Really? I knew that one of them would be born, but I didn't realize they were twins!"

"They are, indeed, Vala Jackson," Teal'c confirmed, a smile forming on his own face.

Daniel drove to the dig. When he arrived, he debated driving his car into relative concealment behind the quonset hut to one side of the active area, but decided that Cavil would be too clever for that. He went over everything in his mind again, and decided that Cavil would indeed turn Vala over to him. There was very little reason not to. He would assume that Daniel would keep his word, therefore, he would do the same. For insurance, however, Daniel had the gun, but he would use it only if necessary.

A half hour later, another vehicle drove into the site. It stopped beside Daniel's car and Cavil got out of the driver's seat. He walked around to where Daniel stood in front of his car, and stopped, appraising the younger man. Vala was seated in the back seat of Cavil's car, and her window was down.

"Are you alright, Vala?" Daniel asked her.

"I'm fine, Daniel. He hasn't laid a finger on me, which is more than I can say for his goons," she responded.

"No, I didn't think he'd touch you. It's not his style. Wouldn't serve a purpose. If he had hurt you, it could have been seen as a breach of contract, which would have been the green light for me to break our agreement." He turned to Cavil. "What do you want?"

"I would have thought that was obvious, Daniel. I want the significance of this dig kept secret," Cavil explained. "Right now, I have your attention. Now that I have it, you will listen. I buried this site before you were brought online. When it is to be made public is up to me, not you."

"You want the equipment to transfer your mind into a mechanical again."

"Of course!"

"And once that is done, you will destroy humanity!" Daniel exclaimed. "What possible motive could you provide me to make me help you?"

Cavil said nothing, but looked at Vala. He perceived that Daniel's gaze had followed his, and then, he slowly turned to the younger man. "You don't expect me to believe that you don't understand how things are, do you?" Daniel silently met his gaze and Cavil continued, "No, I didn't think so."

Keeping one eye on Cavil, Daniel walked to the rear door of the older man's car, and opened it. Vala stepped out, and to the right side of Daniel's car. She opened the door and got in. Once she was safely inside, Daniel opened his own door and got it. He closed the door and through the open window said to Cavil, "I'll consider what you've said."

"You do that," Cavil told him as he watched Daniel put his car into reverse, then back away. "You do that," Cavil again said as he followed the taillights until they disappeared into the darkness. Then he got in his own car and followed more slowly.

A few years later…

While he didn't agree with Cavil's ideas, Daniel had decided the risk to Vala and their children were too great, so had stopped with the dig he was working on. Cavil had been magnanimous and had sent the archaeologist on several digs which had proved to be worthwhile endeavors, however, Daniel was constantly looking for ways to expose Cavil for what he was without endangering his family.

They had been vacationing on Virgon, after several months apart. Daniel pulled the car into the driveway and the five year old twins got out and ran inside. Daniel and Vala followed more sedately. They walked into the house, and were surprised to see D'Anna Beers standing in the living room, her hands on the kids' shoulders. Her face was white, and she was trembling. Daniel looked over his shoulder and saw a terrifying sight.

A mechanical was striding into the room. It had a transparent domed head, with a silver face. Its two eyes were of the familiar back and forth red lights. It was wearing a red, high collared cloak. Its mouth, when it spoke, flashed with blue lighting. "Hello, Daniel," it said in a cultured voice. "I am Lucifer."

"How do you know me?" Daniel asked it.

"I used to be John Cavil," the monstrosity told him, in a mocking fashion. "I have succeeded in transferring my mind into the body I should have had when I came online."

"What do you want with us?" Vala asked.

"That is simple," the cylon said, turning to address her. "I wish to thank you for your cooperation. You are of no further use to me, but as I owe you something since you kept quiet about the nature of the dig, I will make your deaths quick and painless."

"You would kill children?" Daniel asked indignantly.

D'Anna stepped to his side, still grasping the children's shoulders. "No. I'm taking the kids. They will be cared for, Daniel. I'm very sorry. I have no choice." Her voice degraded into sobs, mixed with those of the children as she ushered them out of the house and into a waiting car across the street.

"Dirty toaster!" they heard Karl yell as the door of the car shut.

"A wonderful child," Lucifer said sarcastically. "I wonder what he would think if he knew that his father was a skinjob?" The cylon raised his hand, and pointed a blaster at Daniel.

Vala knew that this was the time, and threw herself in front of her husband, embracing him as the cylon fired. The bolt hit her in the back, but she was already converting to energy. She absorbed the energy, and whispered to Daniel, "Trust me." She grabbed hold of Daniel's mind, even as his body was hit by another bolt of energy from Lucifer's blaster.

"There will be no resurrection for you, Daniel," the cylon said, maliciously. From his point of view, Vala had fallen to his first shot, and Daniel to his second. All that was left of the annoying seventh model was a scorched mark on the carpet, but that was of no consequence. The cylon turned and walked to the garage where he got into the backseat of a limo. The driver opened the garage door, maneuvered around Daniel's car, and they drove away.

Vala held onto Daniel's mind with all her might. Suddenly, Teal'c was present, and he helped her. The Q pushed Daniel's mind towards ascension, as he pulled the man's body from where he had hidden it from the cylon. Vala helped Daniel to lay on the floor. The wound from the blaster bolt was bleeding profusely, and she used all her skill just to keep him alive long enough for Teal'c to help him.

"Daniel Thrace," the former Jaffa said to him. "You do not know me yet, but I am your friend." Teal'c was slowing time as he spoke, keeping Daniel's body in a kind of stasis while his mind stayed alert. "You must concentrate. Vala is helping to keep your body alive, but it cannot last. You must ascend now. I have increased the power of your mind so you can do this. Vala will help as she is ascended. She can tell you what you need to know."

Daniel was confused, but he trusted Vala. She was suddenly in his mind, and he saw all that she knew. He relaxed, and felt himself enter a euphoric state. Suddenly, his entire body flushed and he felt it become energy. He lifted to the ceiling and looked down at Teal'c, who lifted his eyes to his friend and smiled.

Vala lowered herself to the floor and became physical again, and Daniel did the same. He had no idea how he did it, but it worked, so he wasn't complaining.

"Thank you, Teal'c," Daniel said. "Vala has shown me what she knows, so I understand who you are and what you did for me."

"It was my pleasure, Daniel Thrace," Teal'c said solemnly "And now, we must return to Earth."

"So I will now become Daniel Jackson, correct?"

"That is correct, but I must tell you that you will not remember this life for some time," Teal'c explained. Vala is from your future, and will return to then, but you have much," he paused to think about his words, "aging to do, Daniel Jackson."

"Aging?" Daniel asked.

"Like a fine wine," Vala said to him, hugging him tight.


	16. Chapter 16

Vala let go of Teal'c's hand and sat down on the sofa. "That was a rush," she said.

Karl and Ca'Ra were confused, but Daniel explained. "Teal'c took her to the past. By Vala travelling to the past and fulfilling those events, I now have the knowledge of what happened in Caprica City."

"You mean they just travelled into the past? Right now?" Karl asked.

"Yes," Daniel affirmed, "the Q can accomplish things like that seamlessly. Your mother just lived the almost seven years she spent on Caprica."

Karl looked confused, but Ca'Ra explained further. "Mom now knows everything that happened when we were kids, because for her, it just happened."

Karl had tears in his eyes. Ca'Ra had heard the story from Ca'Rel, but Karl said, "We never knew what happened to you after D'Anna took us away. We were told that you were killed, but…" He broke off.

Vala and Daniel were both unable to speak, so Merlin explained. "Your mother is an Ascended, as is your future self and Ca'Ra. As such, she was able to protect your father when he was shot. Teal'c then helped your father to ascend, which left him immune to the effects of a blaster on his body. Lucifer, John Cavil, failed in his attempt at killing both of your parents."

"So how come they let D'Anna take us away?" Karl asked. "She actually adopted us."

"If we had remained," Daniel explained, "Cavil would have attempted to kill you both since he was unsuccessful with us. It was safer to have him believe he had succeeded in killing us."

"True," Ca'Ra agreed, "but it also had the unfortunate effect of making us grow up without parents."

Vala's eyes were bright as she nodded. "I'm so sorry for that. My own father disappeared frequently, but he always came back. I can't even imagine what you went through thinking we were dead."

Karl stood up, and said, "Excuse me, please," and left the room.

Daniel and Vala turned to Ca'Rel who simply said, "He just needs some air."

On Enterprise D…

Will Riker stood before the visiting officer's quarters, and pressed the door chime. The door slid open and Riker stepped into the room. A dark skinned man in his mid thirties sat on the sofa. He put down the pad he had been reviewing and stood.

"Welcome to the Enterprise, Commander," Riker said holding out his hand.

"Thank you, Sir," Benjamin Sisko said, shaking his hand.

"Admiral Picard has asked that we join him in the briefing room to discuss your mission," Riker continued, smiling genially.

At the mention of Picard's name, however, the returned smile on Sisko's face froze and slowly faded. His entire demeanor became stiff and he asked, "Sir, is that really necessary?"

Riker withdrew his hand and stood up straight. He was a good three inches taller than Sisko, and now used his height to reinforce his authority. "If the Admiral says it's necessary, then it is. You have a problem with that, Commander?"

"Permission to speak freely, Sir?" Sisko said, snapping to attention.

Riker eyed him for a long moment, then said, "Granted."

"My wife was on Saratoga when it was destroyed, as were many of my friends. I know that the Admiral is not responsible for what happened, Sir. It's just that…."

"You're right. He had barely even been taken captive when Saratoga was destroyed," Riker said, barely containing his temper. He could understand Sisko's problem, but he could not sanction it interfering with his performance of duty.

"I realize that, Sir. That's why I am continuing to do my job," Sisko said, almost as if he read Riker's mind.

"Then I will expect you in the briefing room in fifteen minutes, Commander," Riker said crisply. Then, he turned on his heel and left the room.

"Well, Ben," Sisko said to himself after Riker had gone. "That didn't go so well."

On Avalon…

Karl walked back into the Jackson's quarters. He looked around the room and saw that everyone was still there. Well, he thought to himself, that makes sense. Ca'Rel would tell them that I would be right back.

He muttered an apology and sat back down beside Ca'Ra. She smiled and gave him a small hug. "It's a lot to take in, I know," she said quietly.

He returned her smile and nodded, then turned to his father. "So, I guess my calling you both 'skinjobs' was wrong. I'm sorry"

"Actually," Daniel corrected him, "I was a human form cylon, although Vala isn't"

"What do you mean you were?" Ca'Ra asked.

"Well," he explained, "I'm certainly not a cylon now. The first time I ascended, I became a being of pure energy. Granted, I could take physical form, just like your mom, but I didn't have the experience she has, so I never got the hang of being physical to the extent she is."

"Not every ascended can do as much as I can in a physical sense," Vala said, somewhat smugly.

"Some can," Che'Ryl said, "but to the extent of having a human baby, let alone twins!"

"That takes a very talented Ascended," Vala said, grinning from ear to ear.

Teal'c was standing behind Vala, so Ca'Ra was able to see his eyebrow raise. She tried to stifle a laugh, but was unsuccessful.

Vala whirled and playfully swatted at Teal'c's leg. "You just keep quiet, Muscles," she warned him.

"I assure you, Vala Jackson, that I have not said a word."

"You didn't have to," she growled at him.

"Anyway," Daniel said, breaking off any more of his wife's bragging about her abilities, "my point is that once I became a human child, I was no longer genetically a cylon."

"Actually, Daniel Jackson, I checked your DNA when I arranged for your 'parents' to adopt you. I found that it fell well within the normal ranges for human DNA, and so didn't change it at all. You are genetically the same as you were on Caprica," Teal'c explained.

"How about when you became Q?" Ca'Ra asked.

Ca'Rel shook his head and explained, "A Q is a biological entity with a connection to the continuum. They can exist as pure energy if they wish, certainly, but since Dad is manifesting himself in his normal form, he is still genetically the same."

"Most Q exist in the form they were born with, because it is the most natural for them to use," Daniel explained.

"Uh, it's the most natural for non-Q too," Karl quipped.

"That it is," Vala said, smiling evilly at her husband.

On Enterprise D…

Riker watched as Sisko came into the briefing room. He hadn't said anything to Picard about the Commander's problem before hand. He wanted the Admiral to form his own opinions regarding Sisko, and if the young man could overcome his hangups on his own, so much the better.

Sisko came in and stopped by the door: "Commander Benjamin Sisko, reporting as ordered, Sir."

Picard appraised the man, then told him, "Please have a seat, Commander."

Sisko nodded,. "Thank you, Sir," and down.

Riker watched for any sign of Sisko's anger toward Picard, but had he not known it was there, he wouldn't have seen it.

"I have been informed that you will be in need of a science officer, Commander," Picard said after the preliminaries were out of the way. "Have you considered Jadzia Dax?"

Sisko looked at Picard with new respect. He had known Curzon, and had actually served under him before the incident which led to the Trill's reduction of rank. "Actually, I have, Sir," he told the Admiral, "but I didn't want to insult Dax by offering the position."

"Why would Dax be insulted?" Picard wanted to know.

"The position of science officer was a punishment for Curzon. I did not want Dax to think Starfleet was continuing with the punishment with the new blending."

Picard nodded, "I see. Commander, you are aware that it is illegal for Starfleet to carry a disciplinary action from one blending to the next where a Trill is concerned?"

Sisko sat up straighter as he said, "I am, Sir, however, I am not naive enough to believe that it cannot happen regardless of rules and regulations. I was friends with Curzon, and I do not want him to think that I am one of those who would go against our laws."

Again, Picard nodded. "Commander, Curzon talked about you more than once. It is my impression that Dax would consider you requesting Jadzia as proof that you are not such a person. She has doctorates in chemistry, field propulsion, and theoretical physics, not to mention her masters degrees, numbering five, if memory serves. All of those degrees were acquired before she became a joined Trill, I might add. She is a perfect candidate for science officer, and she knows it. You should as well."

Sisko considered. He was still not thrilled to be here, talking to Picard, but he realized that Picard was correct in this instance. Dax would consider his choice of her for science officer as proof of their friendship. "Thank you, Sir," he said. He was about to ask to be dismissed when Picard surprised him once again.

"Commander," he said, "I perceive that you are not happy to be in this room, talking to me."

Sisko quickly looked at Riker, but Picard stopped him. "I assure you, Commander, that Captain Riker has not mentioned this."

For the second time in two hours, Sisko stiffened and asked, "Permission to speak freely, Sir."

"Granted," Picard said mildly.

"I lost many people on Saratoga, including my wife. I realize that you weren't responsible, but I know that you adopted a borg child that was rescued from that battle. I find that hard to stomach, Sir."

Picard could sense that the man was telling the truth. He wasn't holding anything personally against Picard, nor even Annika. His problem was with Borg in general. There was something else too… something palpable. Picard had not intended to read anything from this young man, but the feelings were so strong that there was no way to not pick up on them. Sisko felt that the Iconians should have done more than they had at Wolf 359, given their ability to defeat the Borg in later skirmishes.

"Commander, I admire the fact that you have been able to hold your feelings in check so well. Your record shows that your service has been exemplary since Wolf 359. I would never have picked up on your feelings had they not been so transparent." He stood and walked to the replicator. "Tea, Earl Grey, hot," he told it, and then picked up the cup and saucer that materialized there. "Our briefing is over, but I would like to talk to you more, Commander."

Riker stood, and excused himself, and Sisko almost did the same. Something in Picard's sincerity stopped him, however. Instead he nodded and remained seated.

"Would you like some coffee, Commander?" Picard asked him.

"Yes, Sir, I would," Sisko responded. He expected Picard to order regular coffee, but was pleasantly surprised when he ordered a raktajino. The Admiral handed it to him, then sat back down in his seat.

"Commander, I want you to know that we are completely off the record now. What you say in this room now has no bearing on your career. I do not expect friendship from any officer. What you have shown me today is exactly what I expect. Respect, despite your personal feelings. That is the sign of an extraordinary officer in whom I will gladly place my trust."

"Thank you, Sir," Sisko said as he sipped his raktajino. Picard was right. No matter the commander's personal feelings, he would only show respect for Picard.

He considered for a time, then said, "It's common knowledge that you are now Q, Admiral. Even so, I wonder if you truly understand my feelings?"

"As I said, Commander," Picard said, "They're quite plain, but I would appreciate it if you gave voice to them."

Sisko suspected that Picard was humoring him, but he decided to speak them out loud anyway. "I have told you," he explained, "how I feel about the Borg girl you adopted. I do not bear either of you any ill will. It's just that when I see a Borg, I get…."

"Dont bother trying to describe it, There is no actual word for what we feel. You need to act. You instinctively look for a weapon, but when you see me you have to tell yourself that I mean you no ill will. I know whereof I speak, because I have the same feelings whenever I look in the mirror. I see myself still assimilated, but now it is even worse because I am Q. With a single thought, I can turn off a star or assimilate an entire galaxy, even though I know that I am no longer Borg."

Picard held Sisko's gaze for a long moment, then said, "I'd like to show you something, Mr. Sisko."

"Alright," the younger man said.

Picard snapped his fingers and the two vanished in a flash of light. They reappeared in a ready room, but not one that Sisko had ever seen.

"Where are we?" Sisko asked.

"We are in the Captain's ready room of the Enterprise-E. My ready room, in fact, but we are in the original timeline. The Borg have attacked Earth, and in an attempt to assimilate the planet unopposed, they have gone back to today, April 2nd 2063. They attempted to prevent first contact. Enterprise-E ,under my command, has followed the Borg back in time and has been boarded. Many good people have been assimilated. Many friends. I am angry, and am set on fighting the Borg to regain my ship until the last of my crew is standing.

Picard sat down and started adjusting a phaser rifle as the door opened and an attractive young woman entered. She was as dark as Sisko, and she was mad at Picard. She walked up and started tearing into him about his obsession with the Borg. "I saw the look on your face in the holodeck when you shot those Borg! You were almost enjoying it!"

Picard slowly stood and said quietly, "How dare you!"

"Oh come on, Captain. You're not the first person to get a thrill from murdering someone. I see it all the time!"

"Get Out!" Picard thundered.

"Or what?" the woman challenged, "you'll kill me? Like you killed Ensign Lynch?"

"There was no way to save him," Picard said, more rational now.

"You didn't even try!" the woman said. "Where was your evolved sensibility then?"

"I don't have time for this," Picard said, dismissing her and preparing to sit back down.

"Hey! I'm sorry," she said sarcastically, "I didn't mean to interrupt your little quest. Captain Ahab has to go hunt his whale."

Sisko was watching closely. He understood what Picard was showing him, but he was surprised when the rational man he thought he understood suddenly screamed, "No!" in response to her urging him to 'blow up the damn ship!', and swung the phaser rifle into the glass covering the models of past Enterprises.

"You broke your little ships," the woman said sadly. "See ya 'round, Ahab."

Picard was listening now, and understood, as Sisko had known he must. "A sum of all the rage and hate. If his chest had been a cannon he would have shot his heart out," the Captain said, wondering at his own actions.

The room faded, and Sisko found himself back on D, looking at Picard. "What did you do?" he asked.

"I set the auto-destruct. We were able to destroy the Borg before destroying the ship, but my point is that Lily Sloane, the woman you saw, was right."

"I understand, Admiral. I suppose I was on my way to where you were," he acknowledged, and then smiled. "Too bad I didn't have a Lily Sloane to shake me up. She seemed like a remarkable woman."

Sisko stood and held out his hand to Picard, who grasped it and smiled back. "May I suggest that you read the tapes about Zefram Cochrane, Mr. Sisko? You'll find out a lot more about Lily Sloane."

The Commander suddenly made the connection. "Wait a minute! First Contact? Lily Sloane? That was Zefram Cochrane's assistant?"

"Indeed," Picard said, nodding.

Sisko was smiling broadly when he left the room.

At Bajor…

In orbit of Bajor was the Cardassian Station, formerly known as Terek Nor. Sisko watched as it drew closer on D's viewscreen. It was his command for the next who knew how long, and he was taking in as much of the view from outside as he could. In many ways, it looked organic, like it was waiting to reach out and grab unsuspecting ships that might fly by. Of course, Sisko had often felt that Cardassian tech looked organic, and as they approached, he wondered if he would find the interior of the station unsettling.

When Enterprise docked with DS9, Sisko met with Riker and Picard at the lock, ready to enter the station. None of the three had ever been aboard a Cardassian station before, so this was to be a new experience. Beverly and Deanna would meet Picard and Riker later on the Promenade deck, but this was Sisko's official transfer of command, and was strictly a starfleet function.

They arrived at the ops station, and were greeted by a hostile young Bajoran woman, wearing the insignia of a major in the local militia. She looked at the Starfleet men and took in their ranks. Once she had appraised each, she turned to Sisko. "I take it you're the Starfleet flunky who is here to take over." It wasn't a question.

Sisko glanced at Riker and Picard. Riker shrugged, and Picard looked somewhat amused. Sisko turned back to the woman. He recognized her from looking through the briefing pack Starfleet had given him. "Major Kira," he said. "I've read about you, and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. I've been looking forward to talking to you about the ways Deep Space Nine and the Federation can help the Bajoran people as they reconstruct their world."

She looked at each of the men, and wondered if Sisko was for real. She had learned to distrust those who said they 'wanted to help'. The Federation was going to have to prove itself to her. "You wanna help?" she asked, belligerently. "Stay out of our way." With that she stalked to the stairs leading to the commander's office overlooking ops.

Riker turned an amused glance on Picard and said, somewhat sarcastically, "That went well."

Before Picard could answer, Sisko said, "It was perfect," and followed Kira.

Picard and Riker watched expectantly as Sisko entered the office and the door shut. The Cardassian soundproofing was good, and they couldn't hear what was said, or rather yelled, on the woman's part, but they watched as Kira stood behind the desk gesticulating. Finally, she moved from behind it, still waving her arms and yelling. Sisko slowly moved to the point behind the desk that she had formerly occupied and listened politely. When she appeared to wind down, he said a few words, to which she threw up her arms in a gesture that clearly said she considered him hopeless, turned on her heel and stalked through the door. Sisko stepped to the door and watched, smiling, as she marched down the steps, muttering. She walked right up to Picard and Riker, looked both of them in the eye, then levelled her gaze on Picard. "The Federation had better actually help," she said in a tone that left no doubt that if it didn't, she would personally draw and quarter both of them.

Picard simply answered, "You have my word."

Kira snorted, shook her head, and walked away.

Later in the Promenade…

Picard and Riker were exploring the station with Beverly and Deanna. Much of the businesses had apparently closed along with the Cardassian occupation, but a few remained open. There was a bar owned by a Ferengi and a clothing shop, not to mention a Klingon restaurant. As they walked around the Promenade, they had passed the security station, a Bajoran temple and the infirmary.

The ladies were perusing the clothing shop which was overseen by a Cardassian man, and Picard and Riker gravitated toward the Klingon restaurant. They had both been introduced to several Klingon foods while taking their battle strategy classes. The classes had been taught by Dahar Master Kor since the Empire had joined the Federation and the warrior had taken each human student, usually no more than two per semester, to an authentic Klingon deli in San Francisco. Ostensibly it was to get to know them, but as he had confided to Picard many years later, it was actually to see them squirm. He would give them a bowl of Gagh, and a tankard of blood wine.

Picard and Riker were sitting, laughing at their memories when Sisko asked to join them. As he sat he asked the waiter for a raktajino and a standard order of pipius claw.

"We were just discussing Dahar Master Kor's classes at the Academy," Riker explained after Sisko's order was taken.

"Yes," Sisko said, "That's where I learned to enjoy raktajino. Pipius claw is rather tame by Klingon standards, but it always reminds me of home."

"Home?" Picard asked.

"It actually tastes like crawfish, but smothered in ghost peppers," Sisko explained.

"Yes," Riker commented. "I'd never thought about it like that, but I agree."

At that moment, Worf walked into the restaurant and strode up to the bar. "Prune juice," he demanded loudly.

"What is prune juice?" the proprietor asked.

"It is my drink of choice," Worf told him belligerently.

"We don't serve it here," was the reply. "Maybe you should go to that Ferengi's establishment," the owner laughed. "He has weak drinks for those who can't handle Klingon Fare."

The three at the table had turned and were watching. "Oh, oh," Riker muttered, smiling.

Picard simply nodded in agreement as Worf reached across the bar and grabbed the proprietor by his tunic and lifted him two feet off of the floor and drug him across the bar to where they were eye to eye. "Perhaps I should," Worf said, "But I prefer to educate you." He tightened his grip and drew the proprietor even closer to his face. "Your replicator is programmed for Federation food, is it not?" The owner choked out an acknowledgement, then Worf said, "Good." He set the man down and said, "Prune juice."

The owner served his order.

On Enterprise, the next day…

Riker sat at the head of the briefing room table, and watched as Sisko entered, followed by Kira. The Bajoran woman wore the same haughty expression that she had worn before, but at least she was keeping silent. A couple of minutes later, Data and Barkley followed.

Data was the captain of Qan, the Klingon built research vessel assigned to Enterprise' airwing, and Barkley was his second in command. Both were fully battle trained, and both held several degrees in the sciences.

"Welcome to Enterprise," Riker said by way of greeting. He looked around at everyone in attendance. As well as those from the Qan and DS9, there were also Picard, Worf, and O'Brien.

Without preamble, Picard said, "I've called this meeting to discuss Deep Space 9. Because the Enterprise battle group is assigned to the Cardassian and Ferengi borders, DS9 falls under my command. I have discussed the matter with Commander Sisko and Major Kira, and we have decided that, in order to facilitate the repairs of the station, the engineers and scientists on Qan will be at the disposal of DS9 until further notice. The station will be the base of our operations in this sector, which means I will have a staff here as well as on Enterprise. I'm sure that Captain Riker will be happy to get me out of his way for some of the time." He smiled at Riker as he said the last.

"Major Kira," he addressed the Bajoran woman. "It seems to me, that you are the current expert on the state of this station. Why don't you fill us in on what it needs?"

Kira was surprised. She had been pleased with Picard and Sisko that morning for deferring to her knowledge in a private briefing, but now he was publicly acknowledging her expertise. She didn't need his praise, nor did she particularly want it, but by asking her opinions in front of his officers, she understood that he was setting up accountability for himself in fulfilling the needs she presented..

"When the Cardassians left 'Terek Nor' it was barely functioning. We have had to fight to keep most of the basic systems running," she explained. "Of course, that's nothing new to the Bajorans. We've been fighting since the Cardassians came here.

"The stations replicators sometimes work, and sometimes don't. Transporters don't work at all. Half of the docking clamps are unreliable. Sensors don't give reliable readings beyond one hundred kilometers from the station."

"It sounds," Riker commented, "like life support is about the only thing that works."

Kira shrugged and commented, "If you consider seventy-two percent of normal to be working. Oxygen is at that level, and heat is only eighty-nine percent of normal."

"Captain Riker has generously agreed to loan us Chief O'Brien on an indefinite basis," Sisko told Kira. "My understanding is that he is very gifted in engineering."

"He's the best I have ever seen with transporters, and second only to the twins in engineering," Picard explained.

"Sounds like exactly what we need," Sisko commented.


	17. Chapter 17

Sisko was in his office with the door open when Picard knocked on the doorframe. The commander looked up and smiled. "Come in, Sir," he said, standing. He gestured at the chair opposite the desk, and Picard entered.

"Have a seat, Commander," Picard said as he sat down himself. "How are the repairs progressing?"

"Not bad, Admiral," Sisko responded. "Chief O'Brien has been working tirelessly, as has the crew of Qan."

"And how is Major Kira responding to our efforts?"

Sisko thought for a couple of moments, then responded. "I think she's still suspicious of our motives, but she'll come around."

"It is hard to change a way of thinking overnight," Picard observed.

"That's certainly true," Sisko agreed. "Do the rooms suit you, Sir?"

Since Picard would be spending much time on the station as flag officer, a set of rooms was given over to being his command center. His own private suite adjoined the center, and Beverly had decorated the suite very tastefully. "They do, indeed," the Admiral responded.

There was a knock at the door which was still standing open. Both men turned, and saw Major Kira standing there. "Rio Grande is prepping for launch," she said to Sisko.

The commander stood and explained to Picard, "Dax and I are going to see why there are so many anomalies in the Denorios belt."

Picard was standing as well. "That sounds intriguing, Commander."

Sisko eyed Picard and asked, "Would you like to come, Sir?"

Picard smiled. "I would very much like to come, Commander, and I thank you for the invitation. However, you are the immediate commander of this station. I shall observe from here."

The younger man smiled broadly. "Thank you, Sir." he said, then headed towards the runabout pad.

Kira stepped to Picard's side and uncharacteristically asked, "Do you think he'll find the answers to the Bajoran spiritual beliefs?" Picard turned his head to her in surprise, and she explained, "I have a strange feeling about this, Admiral. Not enough to act on, but it's definitely there."

"Explain," he told her.

She sighed as she thought of a way to explain her instincts. "Have you ever had a sense of foreboding about something?" she finally asked.

"Certainly," he answered, "as a commanding officer, one must learn to trust those feelings. Many times, they stem from one's subconscious mind continuing to work on a problem even though the conscious mind has abandoned it. In command school, we were taught to pay attention to the nagging thought at the edge of our consciousness."

She nodded, but then explained, "It's not foreboding, though. It's more anticipation."

Picard turned back to the viewscreen as Rio Grande was entering the Denorios belt. He let his mind drift over the history of this section of space, and saw the original reality of what had happened here at Bajor with Sisko and those on Deep Space Nine.

Unwilling to hint at what he saw, he asked, "Are you sure what you are feeling isn't the relief from several weeks of hard work finally paying off?"

"Believe me, Admiral," she said wryly, "I've felt that before. It's not the same."

Kira turned to her screens, just in time to see a massive neutrino eruption, and the Rio Grande disappear from her sensors.

On Rio Grande…

Sisko had been watching the scanners, when space outside the little runabout warped. There was a flash of light and a wormhole opened. Before he could alter the course of the ship, it entered the disturbance and the wormhole closed.

Jadzia Dax watched as the event horizon opened and Rio Grande was drawn through the wormhole. She watched in wonder as the energy vortex passed by the ship. She had no idea where they were headed, or what would happen to them when they arrived, but it was amazing to see a wormhole from the inside. Dax had walked through the Iconian gates, which functioned as an offshoot from wormhole physics, but when a person walked through one of them, they were de-molecularized, similarly to how a transporter functioned. As such, the wormhole that a person travelled through when using a stargate was invisible. This was different. They were able to see this wormhole. She turned to ask Sisko for his impressions… but he was unmoving.

Sisko found himself in a world of white. He was standing alone on luminescent white. Around him was luminescent white. The brightness was so intense, that when he looked down at himself, his uniform and hands seemed to be glowing, but it was more than that. When he moved his hands, the luminosity seemed to flow around them, and he could see swirling in their wake.

"Hello?" he called. All was silence. He listened intently for several seconds or years - time seemed to have no meaning. Finally, he heard a rhythmic thumping, and focused on that, but eventually realized the sound was his own heart.

After several more years, or seconds, he sensed a presence. He wondered if it would eventually turn out to be himself, as the sound had, but after careful investigation, he realized that it was indeed another being. He wasn't sure what convinced him. He just knew.

"Who's there?" he asked.

"It is corporeal!" his wife, Jennifer, said in surprise. "A physical entity."

"What?" he breathed in astonishment.

"It is responding to visual and auditory stimuli," Picard said, slowly taking stock of him. "Linguistic communication."

"Yes!" Sisko said, realizing what these images were saying. "Linguistic communication."

"What are you?" Kai Opaka asked as she turned his head with her hand so she could look him in the eye.

"My species is called human," Sisko said. "It will take time for us to understand one another."

"What is this… time?" his son, Jake, asked.

Sisko sighed, wondering where to begin.

On the station…

Picard stood on the sidelines. He wanted to take charge of the situation, but knew that he needed to allow the people here to do their jobs. As he watched Kira, he realized that she was an imminently competent officer.

"Major, scanners are picking up another neutrino disturbance," O'Brien called.

"There's an object near their last known coordinates," Kira responded. "It isn't a ship."

"There's some kind of life form inside it."

She considered for a long moment. "Beam it aboard but keep it in a level one containment field."

On the ops transport pad, an hourglass shaped orb materialized and quickly expanded into Dax. Kira signalled for O'Brien to turn off the containment field, and the Trill scientist stepped off the transport pad. Quickly, she filled the ops crew in on the wormhole and her observations.

"That could change the balance of power in this sector," Kira observed.

"It certainly could," Picard said, stepping forward. "However, for a desirable change, Bajor must stake a claim on the wormhole."

Kira nodded her agreement, then added, "It would certainly carry more weight with the Federation backing that claim."

"Agreed," Picard said. "Qan is the only Federation vessel here currently, however Enterprise could be here within a day."

Kira didn't respond, but turned to O'Brien. "Chief, how long would it take to get the station to the mouth of that wormhole?"

O'Brien looked at her as if she was crazy. "This isn't a starship, Major. We have six working thrusters, and that's it. It would take at least two days to get us there."

"We need to be there by morning, Chief," she said firmly.

Now O'Brien knew she was insane. "That won't happen, Major."

"What if we were to put a field around the station to lower it's mass?" Dax offered. "Make it lighter, and we could move it faster."

The chief's eyebrows raised as he considered it. "That might just work," he said.

Kira gave him the go ahead, and he left ops.

Inside the wormhole...

Sisko wasn't sure he was having any success teaching the aliens about humans.

"Aggressive! Adversarial!" one of them yelled as he hit the baseball Sisko had just pitched to him.

"Fun!" the Starfleet man countered.

"What is this, 'fun'?" Jake asked him, pulling up his catcher's mask.

"I was afraid you'd ask that," Sisko confessed, adjusting his baseball cap. He considered for a moment, then said, "When I throw this ball, a thousand different things can happen..."

On the station...

O'Brien wasn't impressed. The computers weren't allowing him to transfer power where he needed it. He determined that he needed to do it manually or the vibrations in the superstructure would tear it apart. He stretched his arms between two consoles, manipulating a lever on one and turning up a dial on the other. Finally, the shaking stopped and all the sensation of movement ceased. "Containment power stabilized, " the computer said.

O'Brien leaned against the console and said, "Computer, you and I are gonna have to have a long talk about safety protocols."

The chief's talk with the computer would have to wait for another time, however, as Kira's voice came through the speakers, "All stop!"

O'Brien didn't wait for an explanation. Instead, he slapped his hand down on the appropriate controls. The computer immediately shut down the thrusters, spun the station one hundred eighty degrees, and turned them back on full power, bringing the station to a relative stop in space. O'Brien was already out the door and on his way to ops. He needed to know what was happening.

When he arrived, he found everyone, including the new doctor, Julian Bashir, staring at the large screen. On it, was an image of several Cardassian warships. "Incoming signal," Dax told Kira.

"On screen," she ordered.

The screen changed to show Gul Dukat, the Cardassian who had formerly commanded the station. "I would speak with Picard," he said, dismissing the Bajoran woman.

Kira looked at the Admiral, who simply pointed to her. "I'm in command here," she told the Cardassian.

"I would speak with Picard," the Gul said again. He looked at the assembled people, and saw Picard standing to one side. "What do you think you're doing, moving this station, Picard?" he asked.

Picard said nothing for several moments, then said mildly. "Major Kira has told you that she is in command here, Dukat. It was she who gave the order to move the station. You can speak to her."

Dukat smiled indulgently at the Admiral. "If you insist, Picard, but please stand by in case my questions become too intense for the natives."

Picard fancied he could see smoke out of the corner of his eye where the major stood, but he smiled indulgently back. "I rather think, Dukat, that it is you who will find the coming conversation too intense." With that, he stepped away from the screen and let Kira take center stage.

The major pasted an ingratiating smile on her face and told the Cardassian, "What gives you the right to come here and demand answers, Dukat?"

The Gul feigned a wounded expression. "We simply saw that you were no longer in orbit of Bajor, and came to offer our assistance. We thought that your engineer may have pushed some buttons out of sequence, causing the station to leave orbit. Cardassian technology is rather more complicated than what he is used to, you're aware."

"If our being out of orbit of Bajor was an accident, it would be because Cardassian tech wasn't powerful enough to keep the station where it was supposed to be. It would have nothing to do with our engineer's talents."

Kira heard Picard whisper in her ear, "Might I suggest diplomacy?" She looked to her side, but Picard was on the other side of the room.

She shook her head in wonder, almost imperceptibly, then turned back to the screen. "However, I thank you for your concern, Dukat."

"Not at all," he said, bowing his head in humble acceptance of the thanks. He raised his head, and held up a finger, as if just having an idea. "To show our benevolent intentions, we shall remain on site, to make sure you don't drift any farther from Bajor."

"I assure you, that is not necessary," Kira said, with a polite smile.

"I insist," Dukat said, as he signed off.

Kira whirled and asked Picard, "Diplomatic enough?"

"I should think that was perfect," he answered.

"Admiral," Dax called from the other side of the room. "I have an incoming message for you."

"If it's from the Cardassians, refer them to the major."

"No, Sir," she answered, "it's not from any place I can pinpoint, but it's definitely not from them."

"Is it marked personal?"

"No, Sir. It is audio only, however."

His eyes widened slightly, and he said, "On speakers."

A deep, gravelly voice came over the speakers. "Have I the pleasure of addressing Jean Luc Picard?" The voice was multitimbral, and sounded like several people were speaking at once. For a moment, Picard had the panicked suspicion that he was addressing the Borg, but then realized that the individual was definitely one, not many.

"This is Admiral Jean Luc Picard. Whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

"Admiral, I wonder if you would be kind enough to transport yourself to the coordinates I am sending you."

"Receiving coordinates now," Dax confirmed.

"You haven't answered my question," Picard insisted. "Without knowing to whom I am speaking, how can I be certain this isn't some sort of trap?"

"Come now, Admiral. You are a Q. How could I be any danger to you? You could snap your fingers and be right back to the station. For that matter, why don't you look here and confirm there is no danger?."

Indeed, Picard had been doing just that. "Agreed," he said, and in a flash of light, he was was aboard a dark, exceedingly organic ship.

"Hello, Merlin," the being in front of Picard said.

"Not yet," Picard replied. He gazed for several moments at the person. He had long white hair, a white goatee, and scars in the pale skin surrounding his left eye. "You are Todd," he hazarded.

The wraith smiled. "You are correct, Picard. I am aware that you are not Merlin yet, but you will be, eventually."

Picard glanced around at the room. "This is a hive ship?" he asked. He knew the answer, but the more he heard Todd speak, the more he gleaned from his mind.

"Yes," the wraith replied, "and to let you know, I have spent enough time with different Q to know what you are doing. It is of little consequence to me, how much of my mind you read. You will find that I am telling the truth. I have nothing to hide." He stopped talking and waited for the inevitable. As he was a natural telepath, he had kept pace with what Picard had sensed. He watched as Picard looked up, astonished, and he smiled.

"The wraith are the ancestors of the Cardassians," Picard breathed. "That's why you wanted me to come here, because you still have some pull with them."

"That's right, Picard," Todd said, giving a predator's smile. "I can help the Federation and the Iconians. As strange as it may seem to you, John Sheppard is my friend. So is Rodney McKay. Which reminds me…" he turned and picked something off the floor and handed it to Picard. "Give this to Rodney for me. He'll know what to do with it."

As Todd had spoken, Picard had sensed what the device was. "This will decrypt the cull buffers."

"Again, you are correct, Picard. Give it to him with my compliments."

"I will," he said snapping his fingers. The device disappeared from his hands, and Todd knew that he had delivered it, then returned to the same moment in time he had left.

"So how can you help with the Cardassians?" Picard asked.

Todd chuckled. "How many myths are there about Thor, Ra, Zeus, Apophis? The gods of the past for the human race?"

Picard thought he understood what Todd was saying. "The Cardassians have the same type of myths, but they're about you, aren't they?"

"You are quick, Picard," Todd laughed. "I am ascended, and the form you see me in is my original one. I have lived in the general populace from the start of the Cardassian empire. I simply take a different face every few years, and I can continue as long as I want. But it is known what a wraith looks like. If I show up as myself, I can very quickly establish my identity as Todd and people will listen to me."

"How can you prove your identity?" Picard wanted to know.

"My DNA."

"You could be a clone." Picard was playing devil's advocate now.

"That is true, but there are still those who would listen," Todd countered. "However, faking my DNA would be a problem. The only place it is stored is in an ancient crystal in the top of an obelisk on Cardassia Prime. I have made sure that it has never been tampered with."

"How do you know no one has tampered with it?" Picard asked.

"Because no one knows it's there!" Todd explained, laughing. He continued, "Deep Space Nine is hemmed in by my people's warships. That imbecile, Dukat, thinks that he personally owns the station. I intend on sucking the life from his pompousness."

The Q's left eyebrow raised as he remembered what he had learned of the wraith and the way they had previously acquired their food. "Figuratively, I hope," he said.

"That will be up to Dukat."

Back on the Station…

Kira turned to Picard, a look of astonishment on her face. "You can't be seriously considering going there!"

"No," he told her. "I have considered and have been there."

She sputtered for a moment, but O'Brien jumped in. "Major, these things happen with a Q. He could have been gone for days, even years, and returned at the exact time he left. We'd never know."

Picard said absently, "It was only about fifteen minutes." He was looking at the ships on the screen. "I don't think they're going to attack. I suggest we settle in. They should leave in a day or so."

"We're just going to leave them hanging out there?" Kira exploded.

Picard looked at her with a small smile on his lips. "Do you really think we could battle them? I'm afraid that would lead to disaster, Major. I assure you that they won't attack, but if it makes you feel better..."

He snapped his fingers, and O'Brien laughed in delight. "Power levels in our shields just increased five fold. There's no way the Cardassians will get through them. They could fire all day and not make a dent."

"That should hold them off until Todd does what he needs to," Picard mused. "And now, if you'll excuse me." With that, he disappeared in a flash of light.

In Iconia Prime…

"Now let me get this straight," John Sheppard said, after Picard had finished talking. "You're telling me that Todd is out there, and he's the ancestor of the Cardassians?"

"That's what he said, yes," Picard answered.

"Do we have any reason to think he is not being truthful?" Teal'c asked the group in general.

They were seated around a conference table in Camelot. Picard was seated across from John Sheppard, Teyla, Rodney McKay, and Ronan, while Teal'c was seated beside him. On the other side of Teal'c were the O'Neills, and Jacksons. At the head of the table sat Spock Prime.

"He did give us the decoder for the culling beam," Spock observed.

"Yes, and it works beautifully. Once I got it set up, I thought it was safe to let Zelenka start de-culling people."

"When are you gonna stop looking over his shoulder, McKay?" Sheppard wanted to know.

"He is good at his job, Rodney," Teyla said.

"I know, it's just that I like to make sure of everything before I de-cull millions of people, ya know? There's lots of potential for problems. It's just the way I am," he explained.

"It's not like he's gonna blow up a solar system or anything," Sheppard commented.

Teyla elbowed Sheppard in the ribs, to which he responded with a loud, "Ow!" They had married shortly after Rodney and Jennifer, to no one's surprise.

"Always gotta bring that up, don't you?" Rodney said, shaking his head in disgust.

"At least I only blew up a planet," Sam said from across the table.

Spock looked to Picard and raised an eyebrow. The Admiral simply watched as his Iconian friends verbally sparred. He had heard the story of the Arcturus reactor, and he knew Sheppard would never let the genius forget it. He also knew that Sheppard would gladly jump in front of a bullet for McKay.

After several more minutes, Picard raised his hand and asked for silence.

"I believe we can assume Todd is telling the truth," Picard said. He looked at Sheppard, and continued, "however, you know him better than any of us, General. What are your thoughts?"

"When we were protecting the Pegasus Galaxy, Todd pretty much became a friend of mine," Sheppard explained. "I can't think of any reason he'd have to lie in this instance."

Picard looked to Spock. "First?" he said, addressing the Vulcan with his Q designation. "What are your thoughts?"

Spock had folded his hands in front of him, with his fingers steepled. Finally, he angled the index fingers to one side so he could look at Picard's eyes. "I would tend to agree, Admiral. For Todd to lie in this situation but still turn over the decoder, would make little sense. Also, for him to tip his hand to us would be very poor strategy indeed."

"Unless he felt that by informing us of his presence would put us off guard," Jack O'Neill speculated.

"Admiral Picard," Teal'c said, "what did you sense from his mind?"

"I do not believe he was lying," was the reply. "I sensed an honest desire to help, not only our people but his own. He feels that a war with the Federation is not in the best interest of the Cardassians, and he wants to end it before it can begin. To that end, he wants to stop, by whatever means necessary, those who would draw us into war."

"And what if that means he's willing to sacrifice some of our people?" Ronan asked.

"That's never stopped him before," McKay commented.

Teyla looked around at those people seated at the table. "While in the past, Todd would not stop at sacrificing humans, I believe that he honestly considered himself and his daughter to be Iconians during the Ori war. He saved millions of humans in the Pegasus Galaxy. I do not believe he did that just to turn around and sacrifice, perhaps those very humans he had saved."

"He might. He's a wraith," Ronan argued.

"True, but he's not stupid. He never did anything counter to what would be best for himself," Sheppard pointed out.

Even Ronan had to concede that point.

Sheppard looked to Spock. "Sir, in my opinion, it just wouldn't be good for Todd to be lying about this. Add that to the fact that Admiral Picard sensed that he was being honest. I think we can trust him."

Spock looked at O'Neill, who shrugged, "I don't think we can trust him, but I think we need to. There's a difference."

"Right!" Ronan said.

Spock nodded understanding, then looked at Picard, who said, "Seated in this room are several Q, and three of us are among the most powerful." He looked from Spock to Teal'c, who nodded sagely, then back to the Vulcan. "If we cannot handle one Wraith, what are we doing wrong?"

"Sir," began Sam, "we can't change history…"

"Samantha, everything we do changes history," the Starfleet admiral said. "Every action we take, no matter how trivial, changes history for someone in the future." He paused, and took a breath. He had been pondering this for awhile. "Shortly after becoming Q, Beverly pointed out to me that we had been given wings. Well, I'm tired of being a baby bird in a nest who has wings but is afraid to fly. I believe that we were meant to fly, and it is time we do."

He looked around the table and saw that everyone was staring at him, mostly in shock. He smiled reassuringly at them and explained. "This is my time. Any action I take directly on the here and now is perfectly natural. I submit to you that it is impossible to change history by acting on the now. Unless I use my powers to deliberately change something out of time, I am doing nothing wrong. The only person in this room who can change history is Spock. For the rest of us, this is the present, not the past."

"You are correct, Admiral. For you to act on the here and now is perfectly normal. I however, must make sure that I do not change anything of relevance.

"However, actions which we take now, can change the continuum, since the continuum is not within time. It is possible that an action any Q takes now, could prevent a Q from being born in the future."

Steering the conversation back on topic, Spock went on. "It is my decision that we should trust Todd. The Admiral has stated that he found no indication that he was lying, and I believe that the Cardassians will respond favorably to their 'deity'.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: One of my favorite characters from Deep Space Nine is Garak. I've always enjoyed the gall he shows. I think we were able to capture his character in this chapter. At any rate, it was fun to write.
> 
> As usual, we don't own any of the franchises mentioned in this story. Please review!

Picard, Sheppard, and Teyla flashed into the control room of Todd's hive. Sheppard glanced around, then looked his friend in the eye and said, "I've got to admit, Todd, I never expected to see you again."

"For a long time, I felt the same way about you, John Sheppard, but then, when I heard that the Iconians had arrived, I hoped we would get the opportunity to fight side by side again."

"It is good to see you again, Todd," Teyla told the Wraith. "Where is Jardis? "

"You as well, Teyla," Todd said, smiling as warmly as a Wraith could. "Jardis is on Cardassia Prime. She appears as a normal Cardassian right now, and is... How is it said in your culture? Paving the way for our arrival."

Todd turned to face Picard. "Welcome back, Merlin."

Picard accepted the name gracefully, but he had a question for Todd. "This is a hive ship. Is it full of Wraith?"

"As I've said before, you are quick, Picard. Yes, the hibernation chambers are full, but not of Wraith that will feed on humans. The people in the chambers are pre-Cardassians. Post-Wraith."

"So why are they in hibernation, Todd?" Sheppard asked.

"They have been in hibernation since we dropped out of the time jump. It was around seventy-five thousand years ago that we appeared. Several of my people were not on hives, but in cruisers, so they had limited hibernation equipment on board. They settled on Cardassia Prime. Once they were established and were building a civilization, Jardis and I joined them. At first, we played the part of travellers, going from town to town, observing the culture our people were developing.

"I left my hive in orbit to protect the developing civilization, should the need arise. Eventually, the ship became just a legend. It was a story told to children at night." He laughed before continuing, "It is interesting how quickly people forget about legends. Those stories that used to thrill, eventually become mundane. We watched it happen to our own legacies." He looked Teyla in the eye and asked, "Do you know how we are depicted in Cardassian culture? What they think we look like?"

She shook her head.

Todd was clearly disgusted as he told them. "I look like a normal Cardassian, complete with slicked back, black hair. I couldn't look more different than that. Jardis is usually pictured with pigtails. Pigtails! Can you imagine?"

Teyla thought of Jardis, whose hair was actually, deep red, almost to the point of being purple. She wore it very long and straight. "You are right," she conceded, "but how is that relevant to why we are here?"

Todd shook his head and answered, frustrated. "It's not, but I haven't been able to complain to anyone but Jardis for a long time."

"Well," Sheppard said, matter of factly, "now you have."

Todd looked at Sheppard for a long moment, then threw back his head and laughed. "You're right, John Sheppard, now I have." He laughed heartily, then wiped his eyes as he sat down on a ledge on one side of the room. Other than the throne, there were no chairs on a hive ship, but the other three found places to sit as well.

Picard watched as Todd wiped his eyes, and wondered idly if Wraith had tear ducts. He refrained from asking that question in favor of a different one, however. "What is happening on Cardassia Prime, Todd?"

"Since the military lost control of Bajor, many of my people feel that the time is right for an uprising. This so called empire is a failure. The people are in disarray."

"What do you think is best for your people, Todd?" Teyla asked.

"Overthrow that fool of an Emperor! He's only hanging on by a thread anyway," Todd answered disgustedly.

"Why does this take me back to Pegasus when we were manipulated into fighting alongside you?" Sheppard asked.

"When you left the Pegasus Galaxy, John Sheppard, I declared that I was your friend. I still am. There is no need to distrust me."

Picard stepped in. "I don't think I can help in the overthrow of a legitimate government, Todd. Starfleet would never send ships to aid in such a venture, and if we did, the Federation as a whole would condemn our actions."

"Even if the ends were shown to justify the means?" Todd asked, curiously watching for Picard's response. There was none. "In any case," he finally continued, "I'm not asking for resources from Starfleet, or even from the Iconians."

There was clearly skepticism on Sheppard's face now. "You don't believe me?" Todd asked. "I'm not sure I would either, but it is the truth. There are enough assets in place that are loyal to me. We won't need your help."

"Then why did you call Admiral Picard here to tell him what you are doing?" Teyla wanted to know.

"For two reasons. The first is because I don't want the Federation rushing in to help the 'legitimate government' of Cardassia to stop the revolution."

"And the second?" Sheppard asked, still suspicious.

Todd laughed because of Sheppard's understanding. "You are quick, John Sheppard. We don't need help overthrowing the government, but we will need medical aid, and relief for people."

"You are planning that much bloodshed?" Picard asked.

"No, Picard. My people need it now, but the government is denying them these necessities to keep them subjugated." He stood and faced the planet on the viewscreen. "Come with me," he told the others. Then, he went energy and passed harmlessly through the ship and headed to the planet. Sheppard and Teyla weren't ascended, but Picard flashed them with him.

On the planet's surface, they appeared in a densely forested area. "We must appear to be Cardassian before we enter the city," Todd explained as he took on the look of one of the local people. Picard nodded understanding, and the three others appeared local as well. "Excellent," Todd said as he again became energy and started for the city.

Picard looked at the other two with a raised eyebrow. "It would seem that the simplest form of action would be to allow you to take care of yourselves. By law, I cannot make you Q, but I can ascend you, if only for the duration." He snapped his fingers, and said, "Now come with me."

Sheppard was confused as Picard matched the energy form that Todd had become. "How do we do that?" he asked.

Just think about what you wish to do, Picard's voice said in his mind.

Sheppard shrugged at his wife and thought hard. He flickered for a moment between energy and his Cardassian form, then he stabilized as energy. Teyla had no such trouble, and became energy quickly. Then they followed Todd who had been waiting, bobbing up and down impatiently at the edge of visibility.

As energy, they were able to make good time through the forest, although, once, Sheppard wasn't concentrating on his direction, and headed straight for a giant tree. It looked like an enormous old oak, the trunk of which was several feet in diameter. At the last moment, he threw several tentacles of energy over his face, which took on a soundless look of terror. His form blasted a hole straight through the heart of the tree, and he stopped on the other side, returning to physical form. The other three walked up to him as he was staring at the hole he had just made. "Wow," he said, taking stock of the damage.

"Please be more careful, John," Teyla said as she stood by his side.

"Didn't hurt me a bit," he told her.

"I understand that, but we don't need to deforest an entire planet," she chided him.

Sheppard caught the look of amusement on Picard's face as the Admiral once more assumed his energy form. "Right," he said to his wife then followed suit.

The rest of the trip into the city passed without incident. Once there, they made themselves completely invisible until they came to a house where they found Jardis, disguised as a Cardassian. When they assumed physical form Jardis nodded acknowledgement of their presence. "John Sheppard. Teyla. Admiral Picard. It is a pleasure to see you again, or in your case, Admiral, perhaps it is to see you for the first time?"

Picard gave a small smile. "Perhaps so. In my case, I am definitely meeting you for the first time, and it is indeed a pleasure."

She held out a hand and he took it and kissed it. Then Todd hugged his daughter and they all sat down at the small wooden table in the room. Jardis filled them in. "We have seven people who are loyal to my father. One, whose parents were loyal, is one of the Emperor's personal guards.

"The nanny of the Emperor's children is a loyal follower also," she continued.

"Impressive. Are any more of the followers people of influence?" Picard asked.

"We have two of the old Senators, but their power was severely limited when the Emperor assumed control," she explained.

"So only four people are in position?" Sheppard was incredulous.

"More than enough to overthrow the Emperor," Todd said.

"How is this more than enough?" Teyla asked. While she was more sympathetic to Todd than her husband, she was skeptical that Todd could do what he proposed.

"There are more. Those who are on the fence in their beliefs. Once I show myself, they will turn."

"Do not underestimate Madred, Todd." Picard cautioned. "He has managed to fight his way to the top and become Emperor in this timeline. I knew him in the original as well, and while we were on opposite sides, he was still a formidable man."

Todd nodded slowly. "I can't see the original timeline, Picard, but I know him in this one. He is a skilled manipulator, but he knows nothing of leading a race. I suspect he will have followers, perhaps he will even keep control of the military, but I have one or two tricks up my sleeve."

"I have heard," Picard said, "how you took over the job of protecting the humans of the Pegasus galaxy and saved millions of them. Your associates from Atlantis never tire of telling the tale. You are an exceptional person, Todd, and I would hate to see you fooled by the manipulations of one of your descendents."

Todd drew himself up to his full height, and fairly hissed as he said, "I am not the fool, Picard. Madred is, to think he can combat me."

Picard had experience in dealing with people who were much taller, and even stronger than him, and as such, was completely immune to Todd's show of bravado. "I have no doubt that Madred cannot combat you, Todd," Picard said mildly. "Obviously, there is no way he could beat you, as you are ascended. But he can and will use the people of Cardassia as pawns. Do not make the mistake of thinking he won't."

"He will not hesitate to kill any number of them and blame you for it," Teyla said, backing Picard.

"That's not something you want, or need, Todd," Sheppard agreed.

Jardis looked at the three humans carefully. "My father has chosen his friends wisely." She looked at Todd who nodded almost imperceptibly, allowing her to continue. "Please understand that Father knows what you are saying, and has made allowances for it. There are more resources than just seven people on his side. They are considerable and are led by people who are honorable and will not be swayed by Madred's charisma."

"Very well, Todd," Picard announced. "We will inform Starfleet of your intentions. I will let them know that it would not be in anyone's best interest for us to support the Emperor. How shall we communicate with you?"

"I recommend that Sheppard and Teyla remain here," Todd suggested. "That way, you will be able to receive information on what is happening, and you won't be suspect of what you are hearing."

The Admiral considered the suggestion, then looked questioningly at his two companions.

"Works for me," Sheppard said. "I've been in worse situations before. One time when I was held hostage, I made friends with the Wraith who was supposed to kill me." He looked at Todd and grinned.

Picard nodded. "Nevertheless, I will leave you both ascended. That will keep you safe from anything Madred can throw at you. There is no need to get you killed here during the upcoming battles." He turned to Todd. "That will also eliminate any need for technological communication between us. Sheppard and Teyla can both contact me mentally, as can you."

"Agreed, Picard." Todd held out his hand to the human, who grasped it. As they shook hands, Todd continued. "I give you my word, that no harm will come to either of them."

"You are a respectable person, Todd," Picard responded, "and as such, I hope you will understand when I say I leave them ascended so I will not have to hold you to your word."

Todd looked taken aback for a moment, then he slowly smiled, and started chuckling. The chuckling developed into laughter, and soon, the Wraith's whole body was shaking. He had to wait until he was done before he could speak. He turned to Sheppard and exclaimed, "You are not the only human who knows how to speak to me, John Sheppard!"

Sheppard was grinning broadly as Picard said, "As long as we understand each other, Todd," and flashed away.

On board DS9…

Picard appeared a day after he had left. As soon as the light faded, another flash appeared, and Kirk and Spock materialized. "We need to talk," Kirk said without preliminary. He started up the stairs to Sisko's office.

Bashir and O'Brien watched, both of their mouth's open in astonishment at the appearance of Admiral Kirk.

Picard followed, and motioned for Kira to join them. They stepped into the office and Kirk whirled on Picard. "Why am I finding out about Todd through General O'Neill?"

"Because," Picard explained, "the Cardassian border falls within the scope of my command. I needed to act quickly, and I wanted to give you more complete information before I made a report. I had no idea what Todd was planning. Now, I do."

Kirk glanced around at the other two in the room. Spock and Kira had watched silently. He turned back to his great-grandson and said, "You're right. You acted within the bounds of your authority. Sometimes, in my position, I find that the command decisions I have to make aren't as satisfying as those you make. They're too broad, and don't deal with real people. Or they seem like they don't anyway. I miss being directly in charge. My apologies, Jean Luc."

"Of course, Admiral," Picard said.

Kirk looked at the two chairs facing the desk, and with a thought, made a third. He sat down in the one he had just created, and indicated the commander's chair. "Major, have a seat." He turned to Spock and Picard. "Gentlemen."

Kira gingerly sat in Sisko's chair. Being present with so much brass wasn't something she was used to.

"What did Todd say, Jean Luc?" Kirk asked.

"The Cardassians are descended from the Wraith, Admiral. Apparently, Todd and his ships dropped out of the time jump about seventy-five thousand years ago. and they populated Cardassia Prime." Picard went on to explain the genesis of the Cardassians as told by Todd, and the other three listened intently.

"Fascinating," Spock said when he was done. "But Jardis did not elaborate on what 'resources' they had?"

"No, Mr. Ambassador. She did not."

"What are you thinking, Spock?" Kirk asked.

"Without knowing where Todd's allies lie, we will have to be prepared to act on a moment's notice," Spock pointed out.

"I think we should wait for Sheppard and Teyla to let us know Todd's plans, as they are revealed to them," Kirk said.

The comm signalled and Kira touched a control on the desk. "Major Kira here."

The voice on the other end was that of Garak, the Cardassian tailor in the promenade.

"Major, I understand we have some visitors on the station."

"Where did you hear that, Garak?" she asked.

"Word gets around, Major. I would like to offer a free fitting for new suits for both the Admiral and Ambassador."

"What!?" Kira exploded. "You call me in ops to make a sale?"

"Major, please! It would be very much to everyone's advantage for me to fit them. My suits are very good," he replied smoothly.

"Some other time," Kira said, closing down the channel.

"Who was that?" Kirk asked.

"A Cardassian tailor. He's also rumored to be part of the Obsidian Ord…." she stopped mid-word. "He's rumored to be part of the Obsidian Order," she repeated slowly. "You don't think?"

Spock stood, as did Kirk and Picard. "Where is he?" the Vulcan asked.

Kira was nodding her head now, as she realized what Garak might be up to.

Picard said, "I'll take you on a tour of the promenade now, Gentlemen."

Kira was chiding herself for not realizing the importance of the timing of Garak's call, but Picard said quietly to her as he was leaving the office, "Who would have thought that a Cardassian tailor could be a contact." She decided Picard was right. In a way, Garak was too obvious, but she supposed that was part of his cover.

On the Promenade…

Garak heard them before he saw them. He was dealing with a Klingon who wanted some civilian clothing for a wedding on Earth. Apparently, armor wasn't appropriate for such an occasion, so he was being fitted for pinstripes, of all things.

"...And here," came a voice from outside the shop, "is Garak's clothing shop."

Three people stepped inside the store, and Admiral Picard continued his tour guide speech. "Mr. Garak was here during the Cardassian occupation, and decided to stay on afterwards."

Garak beamed as he said, "Free enterprise, Gentlemen, is where one can make money. But, I find that for a clothier, one must advertise constantly, which is why I desired to give you a free fitting. If you, being Kirk and Spock of the Federation, speak highly of my suits, well…" He had a huge smile on his face as he spoke, "people will come from all over the quadrant to buy them."

He turned to the oddly dressed Klingon and said, "It looks wonderful! I just need to let out the shoulders a bit, and it will fit you beautifully!"

The huge man growled a reply, then stepped into a fitting room and they could hear grunts, growls, and curses ranging from mildly off color to phrases that should have blistered the paint off the walls of a Bird of Prey, as he gave his opinion of having to wear a suit instead of armor.

Kirk and Picard both struggled to keep a straight face as they waited, while Spock merely raised an eyebrow at one particularly colorful expression.

Finally the Klingon exited the changing room and slammed the door shut behind him. The door fell open again, and there was obviously damage to a hinge. "I'll just add that to your bill," Garak said amiably as the offending pinstriped suit was handed to him in a wad. "Also, another pressing." The warrior growled as he headed out the door. "Have a nice day!" Garak called after him.

"Antagonizing your patrons is not logical," Spock observed.

"My dear Vulcan," Garak explained. "If I was to treat him with kit gloves, he'd never come back. This way, he'll believe that I'm not afraid of him, and will respect me."

"And are you afraid of him?" Picard asked.

Garak grabbed his measuring tape, and eyed Kirk up and down. "Admiral Picard, have you heard the rumor that I'm a member of the Obsidian Order?"

"We've heard it," Kirk answered as Garak extended his arm straight out to his side to get a measurement.

"Do you realize that the members of that particular organization are supposed to be able to kill someone with one hand?" Garak asked, his eyes wide.

"I take it you're not afraid of a Klingon," Kirk speculated.

"Really? I don't recall saying that." He lowered Kirk's arm, and raised the other. "Besides. In my humble opinion, for someone to not feel fear is particularly self-destructive. Fear heightens the senses, and speeds mental faculties."

"It can also cripple the abilities of someone to think clearly. It can evoke a panic situation," Kirk responded.

"The fight or flight response can be trained so it doesn't evoke panic."

"I have a feeling that you're more than just a tailor," Kirk commented.

"Admiral, when did I give you that impression?" the Cardassian asked. "I lived and worked on this station under Cardassian rule. I can defend myself and my shop quite adequately if I need to."

"Then why did you call us down here?" Spock asked.

"To sell you some suits of course, Ambassador," the tailor replied.

"I very much doubt that," The Vulcan said.

Garak looked curiously at Spock. "Are you the First?" he inquired.

"No, Mr. Garak."

"Ah," the tailor said, raising his index finger, "so you can't scan my background and see that I'm telling the truth. Not yet, anyway."

"No, Mr. Garak," Spock said again.

"Well, I suggest that the first chance you get, you do. Scan my history and see that I'm telling you the truth! I challenge you to look at my past. You'll see my humble beginnings and you'll see the unfortunate condition that keeps me from being in the Cardassian military." He was finishing the measurements of Spock, and writing them down in a notebook. Then he offered to make a suit for Picard as well.

Once all of the measurements were done, Kirk picked out a blue material with rather prominent white pinstripes. Garak also showed him a blue silk with an unobtrusive pattern with which he would make a tie and handkerchief. While Garak didn't make hats, he had several in the store, and showed the Admiral a wide brimmed, light colored fedora with a blue silk hatband that matched the tie, which would fit him perfectly.

Spock chose a muted brown suit with rust colored tie and handkerchief. For a hat, he chose a similar fedora, but in brown rather than light grey, with a dark brown band. Picard liked a brown similar to what Spock had chosen, but his tie was patterned, and he preferred a smaller brimmed fedora in light grey with a navy blue silk band.

"Very good choices, Gentlemen!" Garak almost gushed. "Let's see, today is Tuesday, by the human way of reckoning. I'll have them done for you by Friday evening."

The three Starfleet officers thanked him, and as they were leaving, the Cardassian tailor said, "By the way, Gentlemen. Todd sends his regards," and before they could react, he closed and locked the door to his shop.


	19. Chapter 19

Kirk, Spock, and Picard completed their tour of the Promenade, then went to Picard's command suite. Once there, Picard contacted Kira, Dax and O'Brien and asked that they join them.

While they waited, he established a link with Spock and together they searched through Garak's past. What they found was extraordinary. Garak had been born to parents who were loyal to Todd. In fact, they had known Todd quite well, and the young Garak had grown up with a crush on Jardis. Of course, his family knew nothing of what Todd and Jardis actually looked like.

Finally, the three from DS9 arrived and Picard filled them in on what they had learned.

"Apparently, the Obsidian Order is loyal to Todd," he explained. "When Todd saw the likelihood of the Cardassians losing control of Bajor, he made sure a member of the order was placed here. He knew I had command over the Federation in this sector, and made sure his operative would contact me. Garak has done so, and will remain here to help in whatever capacity he can.

"So," Kira commented, amazed, "Garak really is in the Obsidian Order. I've heard the rumor for years, but never believed it."

"Sometimes, Major," Spock said solemnly, "admitting the truth, but in an unbelievable manner, is the best cover one can wish for. On Earth, there was a secret base called Area 51, where the United States military studied extraterrestrial technology. The government allowed the information to leak, but in a way which ridiculed the idea. Because of this, the few who actually believed the truth were labelled as either conspiracy theorists, or, I believe the technical term is, wackos."

Kira laughed at the Vulcan's way of telling a joke, while maintaining complete solemnity. "Yes, Ambassador, the same was done here. Mr. Garak has never denied his involvement with the order, but he has always made it seem absolutely ridiculous that he could be a member."

"Of course," Kirk commented, "his ridiculing of the possibility makes it seem more like he is a member."

"Which," Kira continued, "makes you step back and reassess everything. It's a vicious circle."

"Which is why it is such an effective method of disinformation," Spock said.

"If Garak is here to help," O'Brien said, "what has he said about the ships holding us here?"

"Are you getting impatient for action, Mr. O'Brien?" Kirk asked, remembering himself at the chief's age.

"It just seems like we should be doing something, Sir. No offense."

"I doubt the Admiral will take offense, Mr. O'Brien. He has been a man of action his entire life. For him to take offense at your desiring action would be to take offense at himself."

Kirk gave Spock a dirty look, and told him, "I can answer for myself, Spock."

"Of course, Admiral. I didn't mean to imply otherwise."

Kirk looked at his friend suspiciously for another moment, then back at O'Brien. "I'm getting tired of them sitting on our doorstep too, Chief. Let's see if we can do something about that." He tipped his chin up a bit and spoke into thin air. "Sarah?"

"I'm here, Admiral. What can I do for you?" came a feminine voice from nowhere.

Inform Thor and General O'Neill that I have a job for them, then transport them and their ships to Deep Space Nine. I would like them to instill a little bit of fear into some Cardassians who are stubbornly maintaining station here. Send Prometheus as well.

"As you wish, Admiral."

Picard turned to the screens and watched. In about five minutes, a wormhole opened on the far side of the station and several Iconian vessels emerged, followed by a state of the art Federation vessel. They positioned themselves with two in between each Cardassian vessel and the station, and one behind. The Federation ship split into three parts and took up positions below and to the sides of Dukat's ship, its weapons ports menacingly showing energy discharge as they came up to full power.

"Incoming signal from Dukat!" the communications officer called out to Picard.

"Admiral," Picard invited his great grandfather.

"This is Admiral Kirk, of Starfleet," Kirk said to Dukat.

"Yes, I recognize you. What is the meaning of surrounding our ships?"

Kirk smiled evilly as he replied, "We are simply making sure you have no technological problems, Dukat. Apparently, you have reason to believe that the equipment on this station is prone to malfunction, and it seems to me that your ships are of similar design, so we should prepare for malfunctions in them as well. I don't want any of these to cause an interstellar incident."

Dukat's face trembled as he eyed the live weapons on the Federation ship, then he closed down the communication channel. A moment later, the five Cardassian ships carefully powered out from between the Iconian ships and moved a safe distance away.

"Now finish moving the station to the wormhole, Major," Kirk told the Bajoran woman.

In the wormhole...

Sisko jumped up from the unmoving body of his wife. "Why do you keep bringing me back here!?" he almost screamed at the aliens.

"You live here," Jake informed him simply.

"We do not keep bringing you back," Picard said.

"You do," his wife said from her beach towel.

"I do?" Sisko asked. He thought about the situation and how he had thought about Jennifer so much since she had died. He knew he needed to move on, but he hadn't been able to.

He was seated on the bridge at his favorite fishing hole with his son Jake. "You say that in your existence, you do not know what will happen next," the young man said to him, "and that this is the nature of your existence. Yet, you choose to live in a place where you do know, and what will happen next hurts you. How is this linear?"

Sisko thought for some time before replying. He knew that he had never truly gotten over Jennifer's death, even though he had been able to forgive Picard. He had even met the young girl, Annika, which Picard had adopted, but he understood that he still lived in this place. "It isn't, I'm afraid. It does seem that I keep coming back here." He looked out at the still water and wondered why. "I suppose I live here because it's safer."

"But you said the wonderful thing about linear existence is not knowing. If it's safer to live in one place, why is linear existence wonderful?"

Sisko looked at the image of his son, and thought how the alien seemed so much like the real thing. His own son was only around sixteen years old, but he was already deep. He wanted to be a writer, and Sisko had read some of the essays the boy had composed. They were wonderfully introspective. The question the alien had just asked made him think of something his son would write. "For the most part, linear existence is wonderful. There are times, however, like the one I live in, where my people forget that."

"Why would they do that?" Jake asked.

Sisko looked behind him, and saw that Picard, Jennifer, Opaka, and the crew of the Saratoga were observing silently. They seemed to sense that he was more comfortable talking to this young man. "Because sometimes, there is hurt that paralyzes a person's mind. When I lost Jennifer, I was hurt, and I didn't know how to move beyond that hurt. My linear existence continued, but my mind was trapped at that one point in time."

Jake looked skeptical, but Sisko quickly explained. "A human's body is incapable of staying in one point in time, but a mind can choose to do so. My mind refused to move beyond Jennifer's death because it was afraid of even more hurt in the future."

"This is not linear," Jennifer said softly from behind Sisko.

He turned and looked at the images of his friends standing there on the bridge. Tears were flowing down his face now as he realized these aliens, with their questions, had helped him more than any counsellor he had ever seen about his wife's death. "No," he confirmed. "It isn't" He stood up, and smoothed down his uniform. "And I thank you." The image of his wife looked confused, so he elaborated. "By asking me to explain linear existence, you have made me see what I have unknowingly done to myself."

A few miles from the mouth of the wormhole…

Deep Space Nine had taken up a position near where the wormhole opened. Dukat had tried to place his ship in between the wormhole and the station, but the tri-part Federation ship moved towards him. As Dukat backed away, the wormhole opened invitingly, and before he could react, his ship was swallowed by the maw.

The rest of the Cardassian vessels positioned themselves on the other side of the station, neither backing down, nor provoking further.

The Iconian ships made a line between the station and the Cardassians, and the Federation ship reformed as one, then docked with one of the upper pylons of the station. Kirk, Spock, Picard, and Kira went to the docking port and met the commander of the vessel.

"Admiral Jean Luc Picard, Major Kira," Kirk said formally as the massive door rolled aside and the commander stepped through, "I'd like you to meet Captain Kathryn Janeway of Voyager, Battle Captain Chakotay of Valjean, and Commander Tuvok of Le-Matya. The three ships are the vessels which make up the new prototype vessel, Prometheus."

Picard and Kira shook hands with each of the people from the remarkable vessel.

"I was certainly impressed by the Prometheus design," Picard said, shaking Janeway's hand.

"Yes, Jean Luc, it is a very powerful ship. It was built by General Kang's people," Kirk explained.

"Section Thirty-one?" Picard asked in surprise.

"Yes. They designed the Prometheus prototypes. Voyager is the main arrowhead shaped command section. Valjean forms the keel section, and Le-Matya is the middle section. Valjean and Le-Matya both have warp drives. Voyager isn't equipped with one, but she can accelerate to point nine five C in just under one second. She contains an Iconian gravity drive. She can project and shape a gravity field, fully adjustable in a sphere surrounding her.

"I remember reading about a trick that Nathan Stark pulled with some Aschen vessels before the Iconians made their time jump. Then Voyager would be capable of the same thing?" Picard asked.

"Yes," Janeway answered him. "During Voyager's trials, we made an attempt with some asteroids. It worked beautifully."

"Does the ship have a standard impulse engine then?"

"No," Janeway answered. "Le-Matya and Valjean have impulse engines, but Voyager only uses the gravity drive."

Picard turned to Chakotay. "I'm quite familiar with Les Miserables and the character of Jean Valjean, and I find your ship's name to be interesting."

Chakotay smiled as he replied, "Jean Valjean was a hero. When he realized the unjustness of his firing Fantine, he looked after her, even to the extent of taking in her daughter, Cosette, and raising her as his own when Fantine died."

"Captain, that sounds suspiciously like talk from a member of the Maquis. Do you consider yourself to be one of them?" Picard wondered.

"I am a Battle Captain, Sir, first and foremost. However, the Maquis philosophy piques my curiosity."

"I see," Picard responded. "Do you see the Federation as being a type for the French government then?"

"No, Sir. I do not," Chakotay answered, smiling. "I rather think the Cardassians would be more along that line."

Picard nodded and smiled ruefully, "I'm glad to know that you do not cast me as Javert." He turned to the Vulcan commander and raised his hand in the traditional salute. "Commander Tuvok. Peace and long life."

Tuvok raised his own hand and responded, "And to you, Admiral."

Major Kira greeted the Vulcan and asked, "What is the meaning of the name of your ship, Commander?"

"The le-matya," Tuvok explained, "are predatory cats found on Vulcan's Forge. Adults are usually around seventy to ninety kilograms, and have highly toxic poison in their claws and fangs. One scratch can incapacitate an adult Vulcan or Human in just a few moments. A full grown le-matya with full venom sacks can even kill a large Sehlat, although it is highly unlikely the le-matya would survive such an altercation.

"Le-matya are creatures which attack without provocation, and often, without any reason whatsoever, but it is their tenacity while attacking for which my ship is named."

Kira nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "What's a sehlat?"

"Sort of a fat teddy bear," Kirk explained.

"A fat teddy bear?" the major asked, shocked.

"Major, on Vulcan, teddy bears are alive, the size of a Terran Grizzly, and have six inch fangs," Spock explained patiently.

Kira glanced back at Kirk, and asked again, "A fat teddy bear?"

Kirk gave a devilish smile and expanded his description, "A really fat teddy bear."

"Admiral, the sehlat's fat is actually used in a similar manner to the fat of one of your world's camels, helping the beast survive the heat of the Forge."

The major wasn't sure what to make of the byplay between the two, but as she took in their expressions, she realized that the look of infinite patience on Spock's face was a result of the friendship between the two. Spock had known that Kirk would make a joke, and would have been disappointed if he had not, because the opportunity to play the straight man would not have arisen. She guessed that the ambassador's sense of humor was expressed in such a manner.

Her speculations were cut short, however, as ops paged her. "This is Major Kira," she acknowledged.

"Major, the Cardassian ships are attempting to pull away from our ships," came the voice of Dax.

Kira looked questioningly at Picard who said, "I have no problem with that, as long as they do not attempt to circle around between us and the wormhole."

"I heard that, Sir," Dax responded. "They seem to be heading back to their own space."

"Let them go!" Kirk said quickly. "We have no reason to hold them." He looked inquiringly at Kira, who shook her head.

"It's tempting to hold them on some technicality, but I suppose that would simply cause problems," she said.

"It probably would," Picard agreed.

Kirk eyed his great-grandson speculatively. "What do you suppose are the odds that this is Todd's doing?"

"High," Picard answered.

"Extremely high," Spock amended.

As if in response, Picard suddenly sensed another mind trying to reach his. He allowed the touch, and found that it was Sheppard. Hello, Admiral. Just wanted to let you know that the revolution has begun. Todd and Jardis have revealed themselves to the people. Todd had a scientist check in the obelisk, and sure enough there was some DNA there. It was checked and proved to be his. The military is calling 'foul' and say it was faked, but enough people are sick and tired of the Emperor's policies that the rebellion is growing.

Picard reported the communication to the others, then he asked Sheppard if the exodus of the Cardassian ships was due to the civil unrest on Cardassia Prime.

Rather than repeat Sheppard's answer for the others, Picard generated an image of him to tell them himself.

Very likely, Sir, although I can't say for certain. I do know that the Emperor has ordered martial law. Teyla advised Todd to have his people submit for now, rather than getting themselves killed. I think we're going to have to get them out of here soon though, or Madred will start slaughtering his own people.

Kirk glanced at his Vulcan friend, and saw that Spock's face had taken on a distinctly green hue. Tuvok's emotions weren't as apparent as Spock's, but when Kirk glanced at him, he could see the effort for control on the younger man's face. The next words from Sheppard made Tuvok's face go ashen, however, and his eyes squeezed shut.

Oh no! There's a little girl spitting at some soldiers walking by. One of the soldiers is turning! Suddenly, the group could see what the Iconian was seeing.

A girl about seven or eight was standing her ground as a Cardassian soldier looked at her. "Why did you do that?" the soldier asked, his voice icy calm.

"Because you don't believe in the Todd," she replied.

"I don't believe in the Todd, little girl, because he's not real."

"Yes he is," she said, echoing what she had obviously heard from her parents. "You're just a blind pawn of that idiot Emperor." She spat at him again.

By this time the soldier, whether a pawn or not, was acting on his own. In one fluid motion, he drew his sidearm, leveled it at the small child, and squeezed the trigger.

Before he had completed his movements, however, there was a blur of motion as another form threw herself in between the girl and the weapon.

"Jardis! No!" It was Sheppard's voice as the woman glowed brightly. Just as quickly, however, the glow faded, and rather than disappear, Jardis was still standing, but now, she was a full Wraith. She hissed, and held up her hand. She cocked her head slightly as her mouth widened, then she thrust her hand into the soldiers chest.

He screamed as pain coursed from his chest to every square inch of his body. His black hair turned grey, then white as the flesh on his face dried and pulled back into a skull shape.

In a few moments, there was no sound on the dark street. The crowds of people watching were speechless, and even the remaining soldiers seemed to have forgotten about their weapons. They watched Jardis pull her hand away from the Cardassian's still form where he had fallen on the rough cobbles, then she stood and threw back her head and hissed.

The remaining soldiers suddenly remembered their duty, and started firing at Jardis. "Anyone who shoots at a child will have ME to contend with," she exclaimed in her multitimbral Wraith voice as she advanced upon the soldiers, completely ignoring the bolts of energy enveloping her body. As one, they seemed to realize that they were about to suffer the same fate as their comrade. They stopped shooting, turned and ran, Jardis still striding after them.

"Child!" Todd called as the soldiers ran through the palace gates. He still had not reverted from his Cardassian form and as his daughter turned to face him, she threw back her head and hissed again. Then she morphed into a Cardassian woman and hung her head.

"Forgive me, Father," she said quietly, her voice sounding like any Cardassian on the street.

"You are forgiven, my daughter. The cause was sufficient." He looked at the people who were still standing on both sides of the street, motionless. He slowly walked into the center of the street, and shook his head. When he looked up at the people. there were tears on his face. "Have we gone so far as to try to kill children because they don't believe the way we do? What has happened to Cardassia that we do this?"

From a balcony on the second floor of the palace, came the sound of one person slowly clapping. As one, the people turned, and they saw Madred, guards all around him. He was still slowly clapping, the sound echoing slightly behind the actual motion. "Bravo!" he called. "Such a wonderful speech! It moved me, Todd!" He pushed his way through the guards, so he could clearly be seen by those below. "However," he continued, "perhaps this little get together should end now. We don't want to get the people too stirred up. After all, martial law has been declared."

As he spoke, there was movement above and below, as soldier after soldier made an appearance, phaser rifles already drawn and pointed at the people.

"I suppose you could take out some of my guards, woman, but could you kill them all?"

"Actually," Todd called back to Madred as his hair lengthened and turned snow white. "One of us could take out all of you, but you have the added problem that there are at least two of us." His voice was no longer that of a Cardassian, and his face was changed. "However, I will not kill without provocation, Madred."

"Neither will I."

"Really?" called Jardis. "You consider a child's contempt sufficient to kill?" She no longer appeared Cardassian either.

"The soldier acted on his own, not from my order. He got what he deserved." Madred's face was a condescending smile now. "However this crowd is against my law." As added emphasis, the soldiers clicked their weapons off of safe.

"You might be able to kill all of my guards, Wraith!" Madred spat the last word, as if it was something completely distasteful. "But not before they level every person in this street."

Todd laughed at the man taunting him from the balcony. "You don't realize who and what you are dealing with, Madred." He turned to the people around him. "Go to your homes. This is not the night to die." The people didn't move, and he urged them on. "Go! I understand that you are unsure, but remember, he is threatening to kill you all if you don't disperse. I am urging you to disperse so you aren't killed by him. Remember who has your best interests at heart! Go!"

The picture of what was happening on Cardassia faded as the people slowly left the street for their homes. The image of Sheppard reappeared, but this time with Teyla beside him.

Kira stood motionless as she digested what she had witnessed. Finally, she asked, "That really just happened? What are they?"

"The Wraith?" Sheppard asked.

"That is how Todd and Jardis appeared before they ascended," Teyla told her. "They are impervious to the phasers not because they are Wraith, but because they are ascended."

"What guarantee do we have that the soldiers won't kill them all anyway?" Janeway asked quietly.

"They won't," Kirk said, his jaw tight.

"How can you know that?" Tuvok asked.

"Because I won't let them," was the reply.

In the wormhole…

Sisko was back on board the Rio Grande now. He looked out at the swirling colors of the wormhole interior, and had to laugh when he saw the Cardassian vessel hanging a mere fifty meters off his bow. He contacted the ship, but there was no reply.

"Rio Grande to Cardassian vessel, come in please," he tried again. There was still no response. Whether it was because they were in the wormhole and his transmitter wasn't working, or there was some damage to the Cardassian vessel that he couldn't see, he wasn't sure. He maneuvered the runabout to where its tractor emitter was facing the warship, then he engaged the beam and started out of the wormhole.

Very soon, he was rewarded by seeing stars straight ahead. He glanced at the gauges on the console, and saw that the temperature of his intermix coil was rising. "Just a bit farther, lady," he told Rio Grande. "Just a bit farther, then we'll let the Cardassians go."

It was tempting to release Dukat, but he didn't want the warship to be pulled back in. There wasn't much of a graviton effect from the mouth of the wormhole, but it was enough that at their present velocity, the other ship wouldn't emerge without power.

His hand was hovering over the controls which would cut the power from the emitter. He waited just long enough to see the mouth collapse, then his hand slapped down. The beam went off, and he contacted the station. "Sisko to Deep Space Nine."

"Commander," Kira acknowledged, "welcome home."

"Thank you, Major. Please take control of Dukat's ship. He seems to be having trouble with power right now."

"Gladly, Commander," Kira said, a smug expression on her face. "I guess the Cardassian technology just didn't hold up."

"Major?"

"I'll explain after you've docked, Sir."


	20. Chapter 20

Sisko exited Rio Grande and met Kira and Dax. "Welcome back, Benjamin," Dax said warmly.

"Thank you," Sisko said. "I'm glad to see you made it back to the station safely." He turned to Kira. "What's this about Cardassian technology?"

"Dukat implied that Cardassian tech was better than Federation, and he was proved wrong. That's all"

"The sight of you pulling him out of the wormhole with Rio Grande was definitely galling to them," Dax laughed.

"He won't live it down for quite awhile," Kira added. "If he ever does."

Sisko laughed merrily, as they headed through the habitat ring.

When he started to turn down one of the corridors that would take them to the central core, Kira stopped him. "The Admiral would like us to come to the command suite." Sisko shrugged, and they continued down the slowly curving corridor.

They met up with Odo, the security chief of the station, at the door to the suite. Odo was a changeling and could alter his shape to mimic almost any form. He had been in charge of security during the Cardassian occupation, and was asked to stay on when it became apparent that he had no love for them, but rather for justice.

"Constable," Sisko said in surprise when he saw the changeling. "Please don't take me wrong, but why are you here?"

"Commander," came the reply in a gravelly voice. "I was found in the Denorios Belt. I have no memories prior to that, but it's entirely possible that I came from the other side of that wormhole. I would like to know what you discovered."

The commander considered for a moment, then said, "Fair enough." He turned and hit the door chime.

The door slid open, and they entered. Sisko was surprised to see Kirk and Spock, as well as Picard and his staff.

Kirk took in the presence of Odo and said, "Constable Odo. Your presence is not required at this meeting."

"Admiral Kirk," the changeling replied easily, "I am in charge of security on this station. As such, anything related to that wormhole concerns me. I need to have an idea what could come through there, Sir."

Kirk didn't even hesitate. "Agreed." He turned to Sisko and greeted him, then guided him to the conference area set up at one end of the suite. Once they were seated, he asked, "What did you find in there, Commander?"

"It's hard to explain, Sir. There are aliens in there that live outside of time. They wanted to know what it meant to exist linearly, and I did my best to explain it."

"Could they come out of the wormhole?" Picard wanted to know.

"They are non-corporeal, Sir," Sisko explained. "I'm not sure if they are able to exist outside."

"What's on the other side, Commander?" Odo asked.

"Other side, Constable?"

"It's a wormhole, there must be an 'other side'," the changeling explained.

"I was never on the 'other side', Odo," Sisko returned. "The entire time I was there, I was inside." An aide brought several raktajinos, which he distributed to the people seated. Odo declined one, but an identical cup grew from a piece of gelatinous goo which he deposited on the table. Spock's eyebrow raised as he observed the changeling sip the steaming liquid in his cup.

"Fascinating," the Vulcan murmured.

"Do we know where the wormhole goes?" Kira asked.

"According to readings I took from my limited time inside, it seemed to be heading toward the gamma quadrant."

"The gamma quadrant?" Sisko exclaimed, surprised.

"At least when it opened that time," Spock commented. "Wormholes are rarely stable."

"Not when they're uncontained by a stargate, anyway," Dax amended.

"If we are considering Iconian gate travel," Picard observed, "There are the ringless gates as well."

"Which require a substantially greater amount of power to stabilize them," the Vulcan said. "I seriously doubt that a natural phenomenon would have a source of power capable of producing a navigable vortex whenever someone approached."

"What if it was using as it's source, the Denorios belt?" Kirk asked.

"That is a possibility, Sir," Dax answered. At Spock's upraised eyebrow she added, "Well it's got to be coming from somewhere. The readings I took from inside showed our destination to be stable the entire time."

"Which would tend to lead credence to your supposition of stability," Spock said, his eyebrow becoming hidden by his hairline. He turned to Sisko, "This will require a significant amount of study. May we?"

"Of course, Ambassador."

"Lieutenant," Spock said, indicating the door.

Dax grinned from ear to ear at the prospect of working with Spock. "I'd be honored, Sir."

They left, and Kira looked from door to Kirk. "They leave just like that?"

"Major," Kirk observed, amused, "If Spock says that something warrants further investigation, then it warrants further investigation. Over the years, I've learned to let him do his job with as little interference as possible."

The Bajoran woman nodded, still not used to the way things were done in Starfleet. She recognized, however, that the people were all highly competent, and that they wouldn't have achieved their positions otherwise.

On the Promenade…

Jake Sisko was sitting on one of the bridges overlooking the main floor. He and the Ferengi boy, Nog, were watching as people milled around the shops, looking in windows, and basically enjoyed the station life. They heard people shouting, sometimes happily, from Quark's dom-jot tables. Suddenly, Jake saw a vision. Or at least, he figured it had to be a vision. No one on Deep Space Nine looked like that.

Nog noticed Jake's intake of breath, and followed his gaze to the girl. She was young, with incredibly blonde, long hair. Nog watched as a man in a Starfleet uniform, probably six or seven years older than her, walked up to her, and handed her a jumja stick. He said something to her, and she laughed. She tasted the stick, and her eyes lit up.

"Who do you think she is?" Jake breathed.

"I know exactly who she is, Jake, and she is out of your league," his new Ferengi friend answered.

Jake eyed him suspiciously. "Who is she, then?"

"She is Admiral Picard's daughter, and the man is his son."

"She's the Borg girl?" Jake's eyes seemed to almost pop out of his head at the sight of her.

"Yes. Her name is Annika. My uncle told me to steer clear of her unless…" The young Ferengi stopped.

"Unless what," Jake asked, taking a split second to glance at Nog, before he had to look at Annika again.

"Unless I can make a profit," Nog finally conceded.

"I've got to meet her," Jake said, standing up. He brushed his clothes off and ran his hand through his hair. Nog stood to follow, but decided he could get a better view from the bridge, so simply turned to the railing. He saw his friend emerge onto the lower level, hurrying, his eyes on the girl. Unfortunately, his fixed gaze kept him from seeing a Klingon emerge from Quarks, and he collided with the burly figure. A large amount of raktajino spilled onto the Klingon's armor, and it looked for a moment that he was going to recover his spilled coffee and dignity from Jake's hide. That is, until a tan colored form placed itself directly between them.

"Get out of my way!" the Klingon bellowed, swinging the hand with the now empty cup at Odo. His hand connected, and it and the cup disappeared inside the Security chief's chest. A moment later, the hand was expelled with enough force to make a clanging sound against the warrior's chest armor. The cup, however was nowhere to be seen.

"I don't think you want to do this," the changeling said.

"No. I want to turn that He'So' Human puq into a pile of Ha'DIbaH quy'Ip."

Odo smiled as he gripped the fist the Klingon threw at him. His hand became a metal case, holding the Klingon's fist, and he slowly lowered his arm, forcing the Klingon to attempt a better stance, to keep his arm from breaking. "First, that He'So' Human puq is commander Sisko's son. Second, for him to become Ha'DlbaH quy'lp, a dog would have to consume him before he was regurgitated." He started walking across the Promenade, his metal hand still encasing the Klingon's, and disappeared inside the security office.

Jake stood watching, then looked back to where the girl and her brother stood. They had observed the entire spectacle. Jake felt like he was about to faint as he saw her eyes take in his entire form. Including the wet patch on the front of his clothes where the raktajino had spilled on him too. He lowered his gaze, and was surprised to see the Klingon's cup on the floor where one of Odo's legs had been firmly planted a moment ago.

When he looked back up, the girl and her brother were gone. He scanned the crowd, and spotted them as they were about to disappear around the turn of the promenade behind him. Right before they did, Annika looked back at him and smiled. He raised his hand and gave a half hearted wave. Then she was gone. He looked up at Nog and saw the Ferengi boy, shakinghis head in dismay.

Later…

In ops, Commander Sisko watched as his people coordinated with Rio Grande. The runabout was preparing to enter the wormhole again, only this time, for the express purpose of travelling completely through. Ambassador Spock and Dax were aboard the little ship, preparing it for the trip. Dax was adjusting the sensor arrays to take readings inside the anomaly, and Spock was fine tuning the computers. O'Brien was remotely tuning the engines for the strange environment the ship was about to enter. Once everything was prepared, they received launch clearance from Kira.

Sisko and Kira watched the screen as the small ship lifted off the runabout pad and pivoted to face the position where they knew the wormhole existed. As it slowly accelerated, the Commander held his breath. He wasn't sure what would happen, but he didn't want Dax being encased in an orb and transported back to the station again.

They entered the wormhole without incident and, while the power levels fluctuated slightly during their passage, the trip through was unremarkable. When they emerged on the other side, both of the scientists' eyes looked quickly at the navigational computer to see if it was able to plot their position.

"This is amazing," Dax said excitedly when the report finally came in. We're in the gamma quadrant, well beyond where Avalon was found!"

"Fascinating," was Spock's only reaction, but his left eyebrow had disappeared under his hairline at the information.

They gave the navigational computer time to update its information, while taking sensor readings on the area they found themselves in, then Dax spun the ship, and headed back to the wormhole. She held her breath for a moment while she waited for the vortex to form, then, they were inside, the entrance closing behind them.

When they exited the runabout, they found that a crowd had assembled to welcome them. They refused to give away any information until they had entered the command suite, however.

"How was the gamma quadrant," Sisko asked when they sat down. Spock looked momentarily confused, then eyed his friend irritatedly.

"I fail to see the purpose in Dax and myself traversing the wormhole for the purpose of determining it's destination if you are simply going to use your powers to determine the answer before we return."

"I was impatient," Kirk said, grinning sheepishly, "but in my own defense, I didn't give an exact location."

"That is hardly the point, Admiral," Spock said, still annoyed.

"No, I suppose it's not."

"Whether the Admiral told or not," Dax said animatedly, "I'm just thrilled to have made the trip. That was amazing!"

"Did you see any sign of the Dominion?" Picard asked quietly.

Dax shook her head. "No, Sir, but we weren't really there long enough to establish who was around."

"Understood," Picard answered, then he turned to Kirk. "I recommend we send Prometheus to scout the area."

Kirk looked to Spock and asked. "What do you think, Spock?"

There was the faintest glimmer of a smile on the Vulcan's lips as he asked, "Are you asking me merely as a formality?" Kirk grinned back, so Spock continued. "The passage is certainly wide enough for Prometheus to navigate. I would caution that she should be cloaked as soon as possible after she arrives, however. It is certainly within the realm of possibility that the Dominion is near."

Prometheus was outfitted with two distinct cloaks. One was based on technology used in Arthur's Mantle, and by Section 31, under the command of Eric Pressman. Although Pressman had been forced to retire due to his ideas that the ends justified the means in weapons development, the phase cloak was one of his crowning achievements. When the Iconians became a part of Starfleet, it was thought that Arthur's Mantle might be a bargaining chip. It turned out that the technology was virtually indistinguishable from Pressman's cloak. For many years the phased cloak was called the 'Pressman cloak'. The name however, was not popular because of Pressman's idealogies. Now, it was usually referred to as the 'Mantle'.

The other cloak was based on the Romulan cloaking technology developed after the war between the Federation and the Romulan Empire. Initially, the Empire had held the position that the Federation should not be allowed to use the stolen technology or there would be another war. Kevin Riley, the diplomat in charge of the peace negotiations with the Empire, was a great friend of Kirk and Spock, who had been the ones who had stolen the cloak. At the time of the negotiations, Kirk was already the Commander of Starfleet, and Spock was an ambassador himself. Riley had contacted Kirk, just to see if the Federation might agree to cease using the stolen technology. Kirk's response was simply, "No," while Spock, who was in Kirk's office at the time responded, "I have every confidence in your abilities as a diplomat, Mr. Riley. You will either work things out, or sing them a song."

Riley was still chuckling when he signed off.

Riley was an ambassador who would stick to his guns more fiercely than a Sehlat protecting her young, and his stance with the Romulans was that. were the shoe on the other foot, they would never agree to stop using stolen technology.. Eventually, Riley succeeded in convincing them that their position was ridiculous and they agreed to his terms..

Prometheus was prepared much more quickly than the Rio Grande had been. Her engineering section had been designed by a brilliant young engineering student, named B'Elanna Torres. B'Elanna was one of the top designers at section 31, and was on board the ship, even now, for its shakedown.

The ship slowly moved away from the docking pylon, then under the careful hands of its pilot, it did a slow pirouette and eased towards the wormhole entrance.

On the bridge, Kathryn Janeway was seated in the center seat. Beside her was Battle Captain Chakotay in the familiar spot of the first officer. Behind them both, were the operations and security stations. Harry Kim was a civilian contractor, who had worked on the Prometheus project since its inception. It was his inspiration to design a three part vessel which, when separated, could either be controlled as one or individually. Beside him was Tuvok, at the tactical position.

When the wormhole appeared, Janeway glanced at Chakotay, then at Tuvok, and nodded. Kim watched as Chakotay and Tuvok sparkled from a transporter effect, but did not disappear. The Vulcan looked at his board and announced, "Battlestations established." Kim saw on his own board that there were only five people on Voyager's bridge now; himself, Janeway, and the pilot, Tom Paris, as well as the relief officers for Chakotay and Tuvok, should Voyager separate from the rest of the ship physically. The commanders of Valjean and Le-Matya were present on the bridge as holographic duplicates, synced to their own bodies which were on the bridges of their respective ships. Those present on this bridge were similarly paired to holograms on the other bridges as well.

Now that Prometheus was at battlestations, Chakotay became the senior officer. His orders would be followed, even by Janeway, until the ship was either separated fully, or off alert. He nodded his thanks to Janeway and stepped behind Paris. "Nice and easy, Tom," he told the pilot, "and make sure the whole ship makes it in, please." The last was a joke as Paris was easily considered the best pilot in Starfleet.

The ship glided smoothly forward, into the swirling vortex. The maw closed behind them, and they were on their way.

As soon as they emerged on the other side, Chakotay said to Kim, "Sensors," then turning to Tuvok, "Mantle."

Tuvok complied and confirmed that they were indeed cloaked, and Kim swiftly tuned the scanners and reported back, "I'm not seeing anyone around, but I've confirmed our position as the same reported by Rio Grande."

Chakotay turned to look at the screen. He pondered for a moment, then ordered, "Regular sensor sweeps every five minutes for the next hour. If we don't have any hits by then, we'll cancel battlestations."

"Yes, Sir," Kim answered. He was not a member of Starfleet, but he was present because he was the most practiced on this sensor array, being its designer. He was somewhat nervous about being on the bridge at battlestations, but was doing his best to fit in, despite his civilian attire.

An hour later, Prometheus was still cloaked, but had sensed nothing but natural phenomena in the surrounding space. Chakotay cancelled battlestations and turned control back over to Janeway.

She immediately ordered the ship decloaked long enough to send a recording of their logs back through the wormhole. "Take us to the nearest system, Tom," she told the pilot. Prometheus surged with power, then leaped to warp.

Later…

Janeway and Chakotay were in the captain's mess, eating dinner. The door chime sounded, and Tuvok entered. On a static ship that was incapable of splitting, the captain's mess was an area where the captain could either be alone with his or her own thoughts, or where visiting dignitaries and VIPs could be entertained. On a ship like Enterprise, which could split into two parts, the captain's mess was primarily used as a private area where the captains could confer, along with their first officers.

The command staff of Prometheus had decided on a dynamic mess hall. Since most of the ship was fully re-configurable by the quartermaster, and the adjoining area was a storage compartment, if more space was needed, it could be obtained by pushing a few buttons.

"Have a seat, Tuvok," Janeway told him. "We were just discussing staffing."

The Vulcan sat down. He always felt somewhat of a third wheel in this room. While he had great respect for the two captains, Janeway had been his friend for many years. She had been science officer on an old Miranda class vessel where he had been chief of security. They had struck up a friendship which became very close. Janeway had not worried about it going any further because the Vulcan was married. She was as well, to a civilian business man named Mark Johnson.

The friendship with Tuvok had flourished, and when Janeway transferred to the Prometheus project, she had requested him as her security chief.

Chakotay had already been selected as the battle captain and Janeway had been somewhat leery of him. When her husband had been killed in a rock climbing accident, she had at first confided in Tuvok. As they got to know each other better, she and Chakotay discovered a camaraderie developing. They found that they could talk to each other openly, something very necessary for people in their position. She had to be able to trust him completely with her ship and crew, otherwise she might hesitate to give the order for battlestations.

It took three years for the ship to be finished, and in that time, a deeper friendship formed. By the time the ship was completed, people were wondering when a relationship would start.

What Tuvok knew, was that one had already started. They had been spending much of their free time alone, and were indeed, considering marriage. "I am not disturbing anything?" he asked.

"Not at all, Tuvok," Chakotay reassured.

"Very well," the Vulcan said. "This last watch has turned up nothing unusual in the star system we just passed through. Five gas giants, and seven dwarf planets. As for staffing, I have a few thoughts on the matter which I would like to discuss."

"Good," Janeway acknowledged. "How have the first officer searches been going?" she inquired of both men.

Because of the nature of the ship, positions like chief engineer, first officer, and chief helmsman were dynamic. Even chief medical officer was a position that could fluctuate.

Because the ship had been rushed into service, not all positions had been fully determined. The problem was that command grade personnel also had to be battle trained on such a ship, so choosing just anyone was out of the question. "I have a candidate, Kathryn," Chakotay said, "but I'm afraid you might not like it."

"Not Tom!" she said, instinctively knowing who he was thinking of.

"I'm afraid so," he acknowledged.

"You want me to give up the best pilot to you?" she asked, feigning indignation.

"He can still pilot until we fully separate," Chakotay said in defense.

"Indeed," Tuvok said, understanding fully that the 'fight' was not real. "It is unnecessary to point out to you, Captain, that under partial separation, any bridge can control all three ships. Had Battle Captain Chakotay not laid claim to Lieutenant Paris, I would have done so myself."

Janeway looked at the Vulcan, shocked. "Really?" she asked.

Tuvok looked uncomfortable for a moment. "No," he admitted.

Chakotay started laughing, and after a moment, so did Janeway. "I see you're working on your sense of humor, Tuvok," she said when the mirth died down. "You had me going for a moment."

Tuvok nodded an acknowledgment of the praise.

"If I have to give up Paris, I want Stadi to take his place on Voyager," she said firmly.

"That's not a problem," Chakotay answered, "unless Tuvok wants her instead of Tom."

"Negative," the Vulcan said, "although I truly think it prudent to have him pilot everything until full separation."

"Agreed," Chakotay said. "Have you chosen a first officer, Tuvok?"

"Affirmative. I would like Cavit to take that position."

Battle rank was complicated. Technically, Cavit outranked Tuvok, but he had not been battle commissioned as long. "Are you sure you want that, Tuvok?" Janeway asked, concerned, "I can take him as my first officer."

"Captain, I have observed the affinity you have with Engineer Torres. She is also battle trained and the logical choice for your first officer during full separation. I have been in command of security details where I have been outranked by someone under my command, and have, how do you say on Earth? 'Handled it'."

As he was talking, a smile formed on her face. "Thank you, Tuvok," she acknowledged. "You're right, of course. I would much rather Torres."

"What about chief engineer?" Chakotay asked.

"Lieutenant Carey can take over while Torres is upstairs," she answered reasonably.

"I will utilize Vorik as chief engineer of Le-Matya," Tuvok announced, and both he and Janeway looked at Chakotay for confirmation. As Battle Captain, Chakotay had veto powers on all staffing suggestions.

"Ok," he said, "but my one concern is that Torres is a designer. While she has battle training, has she said anything about leaving section 31?"

"I think she will be willing," Janeway affirmed.

"If you can convince her to stay on board, I'll approve."

Prometheus continued on course for over a month, spiraling farther and farther into the gamma quadrant, mapping the area.

The three commanding officers drilled the new crew over and over, preparing them for battle. They were fully aware that they could run across the Dominion at any time, and when it did happen, they were prepared.

"Dominion vessel at high warp, dead ahead," Kim called.

"Have they seen us?" Janeway asked, suddenly very alert.

"Unknown," Kim answered.

Janeway looked at Chakotay, who nodded encouragingly. "Mantle!" she ordered.

The ship phased out of sync with the universe around it, and although they could see everything around them, they were completely invisible. Janeway hated travelling in this way for very long. Once on another ship, she had been fast asleep while a ship's mantle was turned on. She awoke to see the surface of an asteroid move through her quarters complete with a mining, track vehicle. It took several minutes for her heart to calm down, and for the death grip she was maintaining on her pillow to relax. Unknown to the captain, immediately after, she had tapped into the computer, writing a subroutine which would sound an alarm in her cabin as the ship was phased.

At this point, however, she was almost always on the bridge when her vessel phased, but she still saw the track vehicle bear down on her when she closed her eyes, the floodlights on the vehicle pinning her onto her bed, like eyes.

She turned to Chakotay. "If it becomes apparent that we've been spotted, I'll sound battlestations."

"Agreed," he said, sounding yellow alert.

"We just picked up sixteen more Dominion ships," Kim called.

"Are they war vessels?" Tuvok asked.

"Affirmative," Kim announced.

"Recommend we head back to the wormhole," Chakotay said quietly.

"Agreed," Janeway said. "Tom?"

"Changing course now," the pilot said immediately.

While they had travelled for several days in a spiral, they were no more than two days travel time to the wormhole. What they found when they arrived, however, made their collective hearts skip a beat. There were over sixty dominion ships surrounding the position where it would open.

They watched as a small probe was launched. It sat still for a few moments, before it slowly started to accelerate towards the wormhole.

"Tom, put that probe in our hold," she told him.

"Yes, Ma'am," the pilot said, realizing what she wanted to do.

As they approached the wormhole, it opened, and they smoothly moved in, keeping the probe's relative position inside the cargo hold. The entrance shut down as they moved farther in.

"Harry? Can they receive telemetry from the probe?"

"I doubt it, Captain," he replied.

"Good enough for me. Establish a level nine containment field around that probe, then decloak the ship."

On a screen by Harry's console, the probe was shown flying in the hold. The containment field could be seen glowing, and Harry said to Tuvok, "Please give me control of the Mantle so I can synchronize our decloaking."

"Transferring control to you now," the Vulcan said.

The ship decloaked, and as it did so, the containment field closed in on the probe, rendering it useless as the heat from its engine fried the sensitive equipment in its instrument package.

Prometheus exited the wormhole and reported to Picard what they had learned. Picard, in turn, contacted Starfleet command with some requests for backup in light of the Dominion force being built up in the gamma quadrant. Specifically, he wanted a few Iconians who knew how to guard a gate.

On Betazed…

"But what about the defense of Betazed?" Lwaxana Troi was frantic. Over the course of time that Master Bra'tac had been assigned to the protection of her home, she had, quite frankly, fallen head over heels for him.

She was not alone in her feelings, however, as he had fallen hard for her as well. He gazed at her tenderly as he thought about what could happen in the next few weeks. He had been asked to help reinforce the lines near Bajoran space, and he would go. He had great respect for Picard and his battle group, but he knew that they couldn't defend the area alone.

"Dear lady," he said, almost losing himself in her black eyes, "now that I have found you, I will not let you go. I will be back as soon as Picard no longer needs me."

She knew Picard well, and was fully aware of what he was capable of. If there was a commander who would keep his people safe, it was Jean-Luc Picard. There were tears in her eyes as she nodded, then threw her arms around him in an embrace that felt like it would never end.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The name Keras came from the Star Trek Customizable Card Game, and I thank the makers for a name for one of the best Star Trek Villains (Was he? Really? Nah!). I was very gratified to see the episode "Balance of Terror" earn number 1 in the 100 best Star Trek Episodes on Facebook, and while my favorite episode, is in fact, a Season 3 episode and not included in the list (Sorry, Lee Meriwether), "Balance of Terror" is a very close 2nd… Along with "Galileo 7", "The Doomsday Machine", "The Tholian Web", …
> 
> My apologies for this chapter being late. My Mother (who happens to be my beta-reader) had surgery Wednesday, so was not up to giving the final edits yesterday.
> 
> Again, we do not own Trek or Stargate, or Eureka, or... Please review!

"It is good to see you again, old friend," the Romulan said.

"It has been too long, Keras," Kirk replied.

"Agreed, however, I wish the circumstances were different." Kirk and the distinguished Romulan had met years before. Keras had been the commander of a ship sent to test the strength of the Federation. Their battle had become something of a legend, and when they finally met in person, over a conference table on the world of Khitomer, each could only marvel at the skill of their opponent. After many hours and several bottles of Romulan ale, they became fast friends. As Kirk had become head of Starfleet, Keras had risen to the equivalent in the Romulan Empire. Once the old Praetor who desired war had been removed from office, Keras was able to rise to lead the Romulan military.

Now, Keras was old, and Kirk could feel his eyes sting as he watched his old friend slowly make his way down the corridor.

"Keras," Kirk said for the hundredth time, "please let us help. You know what it could do." He knew what the Romulan would say. But he had to offer, as he had so many times.

"Jim," the commander said, ever patient, "It is not our way, as you well know."

"Of course," Kirk replied. He loved to visit with this incredibly brilliant strategist, but he hated seeing him so frail. The augment virus had been spread throughout the Federation, even to the Vulcans, through the replicator systems. But the Romulans had developed a broad spectrum anti-virus years before and it had prevented them from being affected. Once McCoy had heard of the problem, he developed an augment virus that would affect Romulans. As a people, they rejected the new virus, but some, as they aged, found that they desired the drug, and it was this that Kirk was hoping for. The aged commander reminded him of Sarek, Spock's father. With a bit of Christopher Pike thrown in for good measure.

They came to a door and paused. "Are you ready?" Kirk asked his friend.

The Romulan drew himself up, set his shoulders and announced, "I'm ready."

Kirk opened the doors, and they stepped into an auditorium full of Starfleet and Iconian officers. As one, they stood to welcome the distinguished Romulan as he mounted the stairs to the podium. He waited patientlely until the applause died down. This was one of the only men to ever end up in a stalemate with the famed Kirk, and he was here to teach his own battle strategies. For decades, Kirk had given the final lecture to graduating battle officers, but now, this class would hear from the Romulan commander that even Kirk couldn't beat.

Kirk felt a nudge in his ribs, and turned to see Dahar Master Kor standing beside him in full dress armor. "Look at the audience, Kirk."

Admiral Kirk looked, and was impressed to see battle captains who had graduated fifty years previous waiting expectantly in the crowd. He was even pleasantly surprised to see his great-grandson seated in the front row with President Sulu. There were two seats beside the two. His and Kor's, he knew. "Impressive," he said to the Klingon. "Shall we?"

As they sat down beside Picard, Kirk asked, "Are you listening in on your sector?"

"I can be back even before trouble begins, Grandfather," Picard replied. "And I'm ready to transport the rest of my group as well."

Kirk wondered who else was here, and as he scanned the crowd with his mind, he found Riker, Worf, Sisko, Data... In fact, every battle certified officer in Picard's group was in this crowd, ready to hear Keras. Kirk idly wondered if his great grandson had made it an order, but he didn't ask. In fact, Kirk approved. With the probability of trouble in Bajoran space, what Keras had to say would undoubtedly help them.

The moment Keras started speaking, all noise ceased. They listened spellbound as he talked about his campaigns and strategies during the war between the Federation and Empire. There wasn't even the sound from a rustling paper as he talked of his battle with Kirk. When he spoke of the renegades who tried to attack the Khitomer talks, there wasn't even a cough.

For four hours, he spoke, only breaking to take a drink from the glass of water that had been placed on a table beside the podium. Finally, Keras said, "We will take a fifteen minute break now, and when we come back, I will answer any questions you care to ask."

There was silence for a few seconds, then people began to stand and stretch. Kirk turned to his great grandson to ask his thoughts.

"It was interesting to hear him tell his side of your battle in this way, Grandfather. Of course, I have heard Keras tell the tale before, but it was always a dramatic rendention. Here, he was being analytical, taking his strategy apart and putting it back together. It was truly thrilling!"

A few minutes later, the question and answer period began. Kirk watched, enthralled as his friend fielded question after question about battles he had been in, before and after their famous confrontation. At the end of the session, Keras showed his sense of humor when asked what he should have done differently so he could defeat Kirk.

"Nothing," the old Romulan said with a chuckle. "If I had done anything differently and won that battle, we would not be here having this conversation." He paused and sobered. "And to be honest, I would not give up what happened in my Empire. We are allied with the Federation, and that has helped my people. We know what will happen to our star, and with the aid of the Federation, we are ready. If I had beaten Kirk, my people would not be what we are today. And I would not have had such a good friend." With that, the old Commander drained the last bit of water in the glass, and set it down upside down to show that it was empty. Then, he left the podium.

As one, the auditorium erupted into thunderous applause, with everyone on their feet. There were cheers for the Commander, and as Kirk made his way from the front row to the podium, he hoped he wouldn't be a letdown to the class.

He stepped up to the lectern and waited for the cheers to die down. It took a considerable amount of time, during which Kirk motioned for Keras to come up again and, after Kirk gave him the Romulan salute, the two shook hands. This only made the cheering louder. Kirk was beaming at his old friend who smiled back, then slowly made his way down the stairs again.

When the cheering subsided, Kirk adjusted the microphone and said, smiling at his friend, "We should have done this years ago, Keras."

"It wouldn't have had the same effect years ago, Jim," the Romulan said from his seat.

"Probably not," Kirk said. He looked out over the class, at the sea of faces. "I don't really know what to say after that," he said truthfully.

"Try, 'Dismissed'," Kor shouted, taunting him.

Kirk laughed easily, and agreed. "Right. You're dismissed."

The crowd cheered again, as Kirk stepped from the lectern and once more shook his friend's hand. Kor stepped forward and did likewise. That brought the house down.

Later, at Deep Space Nine…

Over the past week, many ships had arrived at the station. Bejor had never seemed as important as it now was. Two huge Jaffa ha'taks were holding position on either side of the wormhole. As well, O'Neill and Enteprise were situated above and below, the directions being relative. To someone coming through the wormhole, it would seem as though they came up from a hole in the ground to see the forward weapons of the four ships aiming straight at them, while above, the space station floated gracefully. Lying in wait with its forward phasers aiming straight into the wormhole was Prometheus, ready to separate if needed.

Kirk, Keras, and Kor were seated in the Klingon restaurant on the promenade. They had just ordered dinner, and Kor was curious about the Romulan's knowledge of Klingon cuisine.

"A taste for Klingon foods is not something my people are encouraged to foster," Keras explained.

"No, I wouldn't think that it was," Kor agreed. "My people are considered somewhat," he paused as he tried to think of the best way to put it. "Uncouth by yours," he finally finished.

Kirk eyed Kor carefully. He understood what the Klingon was doing, and he was pretty sure Keras did as well. He wondered if Kor knew how good this particular Romulan was at trading insults. Oh well, the Dahar Master was about to find out.

"Personally," Keras said, keeping all emotion off of his face, "I subscribe to our cousin's philosophy of infinite diversity in infinite combination."

"The Vulcans," Kor said dismissively. "They are a race of peacemongers."

"And yet," Keras said easily, "one of them scored so high in your battle strategy class that he was given the position of Battle Captain regardless of the fact that he only has the rank of Commander."

"There are exceptions to every rule," Kor conceded. "Commander Tuvok is an exceptionally gifted officer. We Klingons reward such expertise when we encounter it. For example, on Forcas III, the admiral's great-grandson placed second only to his own battle captain in the bat'leth tournament this year. My understanding is that with human swords, he is virtually unbeatable. We recognize his skill, and applaud it. Many of my warriors would prefer to have Jean Luc Picard at their back in battle to any number of their own people."

"Commendable," the Romulan acknowledged. Kirk thought he could detect a trace of sarcasm, however.

Before the sparring could continue, Kirk's combadge sounded. When he acknowledged, the subject of Kor's discourse spoke. "Would you be so kind as to join us in ops, Sir?"

"Gentlemen," he said indicating the door.

The three stood and hurried out of the restaurant to the lift.

They emerged in ops, and immediately saw two Dominion vessels on the screen. Picard was standing off to one side, and Sisko was standing in the center of the room.

"Incoming signal, Commander," Dax said.

"On screen," Sisko said nonchalantly.

The image on the screen shifted to a secondary viewer, and the primary changed to an image of Weyoun of the Dominion. He surveyed the people present in the control center, and spied Picard off to one side. "So I have the honor of meeting you again, Picard of the Federation?"

Picard didn't answer, and Sisko cleared his throat. "I am Commander Benjamin Sisko of the Federation station, Deep Space Nine. Welcome to what we refer to as the alpha quadrant."

Weyoun smiled thinly. "Commander Sisko, I am Weyoun of the Dominion. May I speak with Admiral Picard, please?"

"No," Sisko answered, "I'm the commander of this station, and I speak for it."

The Vorta's eyes narrowed, but he refrained from saying anything he would later regret. "I see," was his only response. "Is it permitted that we come aboard your station?"

"Certainly. You may speak to my dockmaster for the proper protocols." With that, Sisko turned and walked out of the viewer, as did the rest of the high ranking people in ops. The only person left visible on Weyoun's screen was a man in a gold and black uniform off to one side of the room, showing a side profile to the viewer. He started directing Weyoun to the correct docking pylon, but didn't look up at the vid pickup even once. The only way the Vorta could tell that he was the man speaking was that his lips were moving in time to his speech. Otherwise it was completely impersonal.

Odo was waiting at the airlock when the massive door rolled aside. "Come with me," he said.

Weyoun stood, unable to move for a moment. "Founder!" he finally exclaimed when he found his voice.

Odo cocked his head to one side and asked, "What do you mean?"

The Vorta was confused. "You are a Founder! Forgive me, my Lord. I had no idea you were here."

Kira had arrived, and was standing behind the changeling. Weyoun had lowered himself to one knee and had his head bowed in reverence to Odo.

"I'm afraid you have me confused with someone else," the changeling finally said to his worshipper.

"No, my Lord. I am ready to do your bidding."

It took some time for Odo to adjust to his divine status to the Vorta, but he soon realized that it could be useful. He bade Weyoun to accompany him to the infirmary, where Dr. Bashir checked him out for contaminants from the gamma quadrant. When it was discovered that none were present, Odo led him to the quartermaster's office where Sisko was waiting.

"Welcome to Deep Space Nine, Weyoun," the commander said.

"Thank you, Commander Sisko," came the response. Then, almost a whisper, "I had no idea you had a founder aboard."

Sisko looked to Kira for an explanation. She pointed to Odo.

"You mean Odo?" Sisko asked the little man.

"Yes. The founders are our gods." He looked from one solid to another. "Do you not worship the founders?"

"I am not a god," Odo said definitively.

"Yes, you are," the Vorta said patiently. He then went on to explain how the changelings had transformed the Vorta from tree-dwellers to what they were now. Sisko listened carefully.

At the end of his explanation, Weyoun asked if they would be allowed to travel throughout Federation space.

"You will be allowed to travel only if you do so with an escort at all times. The two ha'taks here, the pyramid shaped vessels, will escort you. If you try to shake the escort for any reason, you will forfeit your welcome in Federation space."

"So if we choose not to accept the escort?"

"You will go back through the wormhole," Sisko said definitively.

"Just like that?" Weyoun seemed to be trying to goad Sisko.

"I assure you, we can enforce our decisions. I suggest that you don't test us."

"Why are you so uncompromising in this?"

Picard had been standing near the door, listening to the conversation. Now, he chose to enter the room so the Vorta could see him. "Because you chose to fire on my convoy when we were simply trying to retrieve our own property."

Weyoun smiled at Picard. "So, you have decided to grace me with your presence, Picard?" He laughed at what the admiral had said. "How could that ship be your property when it had been there for well over two hundred thousand years?"

"If you must know, Weyoun, that vessel had been commanded by my great-grandfather."

"You Federation people must be extremely long-lived," the Vorta snorted.

"Some of us are," Picard affirmed.

Something in the human's tone gave Weyoun pause. The Starfleet man seemed to be completely serious. He shook his head slightly, as if he had been momentarily confused. "That, however, is beside the point. The ship was ours by salvage rights."

"Salvage implies that Avalon had been damaged. It was only out of fuel, therefore, there was no 'salvage' involved, Weyoun. The ship was entirely intact."

"That is a ridiculous argument, Picard. The ship was a derelict."

The Starfleet Q looked at Weyoun sadly. The simple fact was that there was no way he could have allowed such an individual to come into possession of a ship like Avalon. What the Vorta might have done with it was anyone's guess.

Weyoun saw that he was not going to convince Picard of his point of view, so he asked, "Are we finished here?"

"Yes, Weyoun, I believe we are. Just make sure you don't try to slip away from your escort."

"Of course. Since we are finished, I will take my leave of you." The Vorta stepped out of the office, and started back to his ship. Two of Odo's security force followed at a discreet distance.

A few moments later, Picard received a signal from Sisko. Weyoun's ships had jumped to warp, followed by Bra'tac and Teal'c.

A week later…

The two Dominion vessels, surprisingly, had not travelled very far into Federation space. They had stuck very near the Cardassian border. One of the Emperor's ships met them at the edge of Federation space and, in an uncommon show of goodwill, didn't attack. Weyoun and the commander conferred, in fact, and seemed to come to some type of agreement. A few hours later, the Vorta contacted Bra'tac. "I will now take my leave of you, Master Bra'tac."

"Explain," Bra'tac said, although he had a good idea what was meant.

"The Dominion and the Cardassian Empire have signed a treaty," Weyoun was happy to oblige.

"Weyoun, this is foolish," Bra'tac told him.

"What would be foolishness would be for the Dominion to make friends with the Federation. You have a Founder in your midst and do not worship him. This is blasphemy."

Bra'tac had discussed this eventuality with Kirk earlier in the day, so argued no farther. "Very well, Weyoun. I leave you to the Cardassians." With that, Bra'tac and Teal'c cloaked their ships.

The two Dominion vessels jumped to warp alongside the Cardassian vessel and were gone.

The Jaffa commanders watched their scanners for several minutes, then decloaked. Teal'c contacted his old mentor. "I see no reason to remain here, Master Bra'tac."

The old Jaffa inclined his head. "I agree, Teal'c. Whether they ally or not, we should return to Deep Space Nine. More Dominion ships could come through at any time."


	22. Chapter 22

Saratoga-A was a new ship. She was the first of the Intrepid class, with a crew compliment of one hundred thirty eight. Her captain, Aaron Cavit, had been Commander Tuvok's first officer aboard Le-Matya until shortly after the Prometheus returned from the gamma quadrant. Now, he was assigned to the Cardassian border in Picard's airwing.

Like Enterprise, Saratoga had a distinct battle mode. She carried no fighters, but the ship itself was small and agile. While in battle mode, an extra weapon would appear on both her upper and lower hulls. This was courtesy of the Iconian Twins. These weapons were powered by a dedicated ZPM, and were remarkably similar in function to the weapons on board the Ori motherships.

Saratoga had been keeping a close eye out for more Dominion ships. One of Weyoun's had travelled back, presumably to tell the happy news of the alliance with the Cardassians. Then, a couple of days later, six had come through the wormhole. They had gone immediately to the Cardassian border, where the Federation escort had left them.

Cavit had just turned the bridge over to his executive officer and was on his way to his quarters to change and eat, when the ship shook violently. It was a shaking that seemed to start deep within every molecule of the ship's superstructure. He reached for the override on the turbolift and ordered, "Bridge!" As he spoke, the red alert klaxon sounded.

When the doors opened he stepped off into controlled chaos. His exec stood up from his position in the command chair. "Sir, we are under attack."

"I kind of gathered that, Exec," Cavit said as he smoothly descended to the command arena. As he sat, he ordered, "Contact Picard and let him know what's happening here."

He looked at the screen and saw a Cardassian vessel. To one side, was a Dominion ship, and it was the one that had rocked Saratoga.

"Warn off those ships. I don't want to have to destroy them."

The Cardassian ship cut loose with multiple phaser bolts which shook the Federation ship, but not nearly as hard as the Dominion weapons had.

"Continue evasive action. Photon torpedoes target the Cardassian."

The ship rocked from the Dominion ship again.

"Belay that," Cavit countermanded his own orders. "Target the Dominion ship. Fire at will." A full spread of torpedoes streaked out from Saratoga. They found their target, and the Starfleet captain was rewarded by seeing some atmosphere vent from the holes created by the explosions.

The Cardassian ship, in turn, fired every weapon it had ot the Federation ship. Several relays blew, and number six shield went down.

"Tactical, please tell them not to do that again," Cavit ordered nonchalantly.

In response, the upper main hull weapon fired. In what almost seemed like slow motion, the beam reached out and touched the hull of the Cardassian warship. The shields had been at nearly sixty percent, but if they had been full, it would have made only another second of difference. The ship was torn into two sections through the long axis, then, it blew into microscopic debris as its matter and antimatter fuels met.

The Dominion ship hung in space for a few moments, as if waiting for the Starfleet vessel to make a move, but then, Enterprise, O'Neill, and Prometheus dropped out of warp directly behind Saratoga so the battleship pivoted and entered warp.

"Incoming message from Enterprise, Sir," the tactical officer said.

"On screen," Cavit ordered.

Picard's image formed on the viewscreen of Saratoga, "I see you came through quite well, Captain," the Admiral said, surveying the return from Cavit's bridge.

Before answering, he looked around to see what the admiral was seeing. "Yes, Sir. We fared alright." As if to punctuate what he was saying, a shower of sparks erupted from a control panel behind tactical, and he winced. "Well… pretty good anyway."

Scotty appeared beside the Admiral, clearly wanting to ask a question, but Picard waved him back. The Twin grimaced and backed off. "We'll be needing a full report, Captain Cavit," the Admiral said, "but first, get your battle damage sorted out." He turned to the engineer, and asked, 'You can wait that long, can't you, Scotty?"

"Aye, Sir," Scotty said despondently. Then, he brightened. "Unless Cap'n Cavit would like me 'n Geordie ta' help out over there?"

Cavit beamed. "There's no way I'd turn down that offer."

Before Picard could even react, the bridge crew of Saratoga watched Scotty turn into a ball of energy, then disappear. On a side viewer, two glowing orbs were seen travelling at supersonic speeds toward them, then Scotty and Geordie were standing on the bridge beside Cavit.

"What would you like us to do first?" Geordie asked.

On the screen, Picard was laughing. "I'll leave you to it, then," he said.

Later…

On board Qan, Captain Data watched as Admiral Picard's shuttle set down in the main shuttlebay. The admiral stepped out of the little ship and strode up to the android. "Well, Captain Data, it's good to see you again." Something about the android gave the Q pause. There was something different since the last time they had seen each other. Picard did not wish to pry, but if something was different about a member of his battle group - specifically, one of the captains - he needed to know about it. "Captain, what has happened?"

"I do not know what you are referring to, Admiral. Many things have happened. Barkley has been running a level two diagnostic on our phaser array, Mr. Hobson has been studying bantos, Qan's phasers are running at one hundred four percent efficiency…"

"Mr. Data," Picard stopped him. "Something is different about you since the last time we met each other. I can't say what it is, but I'd like to know."

Data's eyebrows rose as his eyes moved back and forth, as if he was reading. "Performing diagnostic." A few moments later, he seemed to focus back on Picard. "I am unable to find anything substantially different from the last time we were in each other's presence, Sir."

Picard placed a hand on the android's shoulder. "Will you permit me, Mr. Data?"

The captain nodded, and Picard reached out with his mind. He saw Data's recent past and a certain phenomenon which the android had recently studied. His eyes widened as he understood what the thing was, and he quickly slapped his comm badge. "Bridge. This is Picard. Patch me through to all ships in our group." He waited until it had been done, then "This is Admiral Picard speaking. There is a graviton ellipse in our area. It is very destructive to our sensors, and can severely damage our ships. Under no circumstances is anyone to approach it, or enter it. Steer well clear. Picard out."

He turned to Data again. "Mr. Data, I would like you to try something. I would like you to picture us inside the shuttle. Don't think about anything but you and I in that shuttle."

Data cocked his head and asked, "Please explain why you…." He stopped speaking as there was a flash of light, and both he and Picard found themselves seated in the pilot's and co-pilot's seats of the shuttle. "Intriguing," Data said, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Yes," the Admiral said. "I would like you to do one more thing, Data. Please think about yourself in the original timeline. Before Ambassador Spock returned from the future."

As he did, Data saw many images. He saw himself and his brother, Lore. He saw his daughter, Lal. Tasha Yar dying. Himself laughing as Q gave him a gift.

"I am seeing my other lifetime, Sir. How?"

"I would like you to come with me, Mr. Data. I have someone I wish you to see."

"I do not understand, Sir."

"If I'm right, Captain, you will soon." The Admiral snapped his fingers and he was again walking around the dig where the stargate was with The First. This time, however, Data was beside him, looking around in wonder.

"Fascinating," Spock said as he looked at Data.

"How could it have happened?" Picard asked.

"You are correct, of course, in your assumption that the graviton ellipse is responsible. Somehow, since the creation of the continuum, it has become much more than that. It was very near the location of the black hole that brought me back in time. Because it was in subspace, it was linked to the continuum in the same way the nexus is.

"But how could Data have become a Q?"

Spock raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you think that because Mr. Data is an android, he cannot become Q? You yourself fought for his recognition as a lifeform. Why then would you be surprised that the universe recognizes him as such?"

Picard started to speak, but he didn't know what to say. Finally, he turned to the android. "Captain Data, forgive me. The First is correct. I should not have been surprised that you could become a Q."

"You are forgiven, Admiral, and I wish to tell you that no one is more surprised than myself that I am now Q."

One month later...

On board Enterprise, Riker watched as Worf taught Wesley Crusher. The younger man had asked the Klingon for him lessons with the Bat'leth. Of course, the young human could have asked his step father for lessons, but he found that he had a hard time learning things from the Admiral. He seemed to get nervous whenever Picard was around, which Riker could understand. Picard was a great man, descended from great men. And Riker didn't have to contend with being his stepson.

The huge Klingon's blade arched down and sliced cleanly through the young Mr. Crusher. The two halves of his body hit the floor, then disappeared. A moment later, a whole version of the young man appeared. "How do you do that?" the newly whole young man asked, visibly shaken.

Worf growled, then said, "Practice, and not a small amount of talent." The Klingon looked around and spied Riker. "Captain. May we speak to you in private?"

Riker nodded, and the spectators who had been in the virtual room disappeared. Riker was certain they knew what was coming, as he did himself. To spare the young man, he turned to him. "Wes, you don't have to do this. The Admiral loves you regardless. You don't need to prove you're a warrior."

Surprisingly, Worf's tone was as gentle as he ever got when he expanded, "The Captain is right, Mr. Crusher. When I say it takes talent, I am very serious. Your talents do not lie in the direction of a warrior. Instead, you are a scientist, and that is what your father is proud of. You do not have to pretend to be someone you are not for him."

Crusher sighed. He knew that they were right but there was still a part of him that wanted to show his stepfather that he was worthy of being a part of the Picard family. Suddenly, another voice spoke up. It was Hermiod. "If I may say something."

"Hermiod," Riker said angrily, "everyone was supposed to vacate this virtual holodeck. That includes you."

"I realize that, Captain," the Asgard said, "but Mr. Crusher has become my most valued assistant. In fact, earlier today, I named him second in charge of science on Enterprise."

Riker's eyebrows went up and he turned to Wes. "That's very impressive, Mr. Crusher." He turned back to the Asgard and his face regained it's scowl. "However, that doesn't excuse your breach of etiquette, Mr. Hermiod."

"I understand. I wish you to know that I did it for Mr. Crusher. When I saw the fight, and Captain Worf's request to you, I understood that Wesley just doesn't have what it takes to be a warrior. This is something I understand. My race has a reputation of being either warriors or scientists.

"Heimdall even suspects that we are descended from the Klingon / Vulcan hybrids. I think this is likely, given the legends of my people and the fact that Thor has a Bat'leth handed down, supposedly, from his ancestors."

"One sword does not prove this," Worf argued.

"No, it doesn't, Captain Worf," Hermiod agreed. "However, Heimdall has also found nothing to disprove it genetically, and much to prove it.

"Regardless," Hermiod continued, "I am a scientist. While many of my people are warriors, there is no shame in being a scientist. Indeed, many times, it is the scientists who win the wars." An audible growl came from Worf, and Hermiod turned to him. "You know this to be true, Battle Captain."

Worf looked like it physically pained him, but he turned to Wesley. "What Hermiod says is true. While wars can be fought without technology, they are much easier to win with it. There is no shame in being the person who invents the technology."

Wesley nodded, and then bowed to Worf. "Thank you for what you have taught me, Captain."

The Klingon inclined his head. "You are very welcome Mr. Crusher."

Riker turned once more to the Asgard. "Don't make it a habit, but thank you for disregarding etiquette, Hermiod."

"You're welcome, Captain."

Worf asked the Asgard, "You really placed him as second in command of science?"

"Yes, Captain. I did."

Worf turned to Riker. "I would like to request Mr. Crusher be my science officer while in battle mode."

"Granted, Captain Worf. I think that's an excellent idea," Riker said smiling.

The conversation was cut short by a signal from the bridge. "Captain to the bridge!"

Riker and Worf both headed for the bridge. Because of Wesley's new posting, his alert post would be the battle bridge, but he was not required to go there until or unless battle stations were called. He switched his holosuite viewer to an external view, and was surprised to see several Dominion vessels and even more Cardassian ships bearing down on them.

"This is not good," he said to himself as he slowly stood.

Suddenly, Riker's voice sounded over the the intership system. "All hands, battlestations."

"Yes, Sir," Crusher said as he turned and headed for the door.

On the bridge…

It took less than twenty seconds before the telltales on Worf's console went out, showing that people were manning their posts. In twenty more seconds, all the lights were out. "All posts manned, Captain," he reported to Riker. An alarm sounded, telling both captains that there would be bloodshed today. "They're arming weapons," he reported, unnecessarily.

Riker turned and looked up at Worf. He nodded to the silent question he saw on Worf's face. The Klingon's hand came down on the control in the corner of his panel, and the bridge transporter took him to what would very quickly become his own ship.

The first salvo from the allied ships struck Enterprise-D1's bridge area. At least ten ships had fired at once, and the shields held, but barely. On board D2, Laura Cadman, Worf's XO gasped as she saw the flare of D1's shields.

"What the…" Riker exclaimed as another salvo hit just a few feet from where the initial one had. The bridge shields went down as Riker ordered "Launch all fighters!" He turned to his tactical officer as sparks rained down on the bridge crew. "Are they targeting D2?"

"Negative, Sir. Wait. D2 is targeting what appears to be their lead ship. Tactical on viewer, Sir."

Riker watched as the screen showed D2 pirouetting and firing her forward phasers. She was also using her railguns, something that were newly installed at Cadman's urging, and had the effect of making the battle section look remarkably like a cobra spitting venom at it's prey. Four ships blew apart in the first spread.

A Cardassian ship started following the battle section, firing continually. Worf's helmsman had learned his craft from Sulu several years before, and had a few tricks up his sleeve. He allowed the ship to coast, while strengthening the structural integrity fields. Then, using maneuvering thrusters alone, he tipped the ship forward until it was speeding through space backwards. The Cardassian vessel was now looking at the railgun turrets which began firing round after round at the Cardassian shields which were never designed for solid matter. At least, not at the level they were now being asked to take. The ship suddenly blew apart in an impressive display of fireworks. "Five down," Worf growled.

Now D2 was made to pinwheel on her horizontal and vertical axes simultaneously, as she continued firing her railguns. The ships following were blown away, but many more were too far away for any degree of accuracy, and they were left intact. "That makes eleven," Cadman exclaimed to Worf, grinning wildly.

Before it was blown apart, one of the ships following them got a good shot off that managed to connect to the port warp nacelle. The blast formed a chain reaction that caused power to go down throughout the ship. D2 only had minimal power. Her railguns, however, were powered by their own ZPMs, and were able to continue shooting. The pinwheel was unable to be stopped, however. "Twelve," Worf said to Cadman.

"An even dozen," she replied, holding on. The inertial dampeners weren't working at their usual level, and she was fighting to hold her stomach down as the centrifugal force tried to pull her to the starboard bulkhead.

"Not good enough," Worf told her. He reached out and grasped her left arm as another shot from a Cardassian ship connected. "Take that ship out!" he bellowed at tactical.

Suddenly, all of the allied ships stopped firing. They had boxed in D1, and very slowly and methodically had turned the forward weapons of their ships at the damaged saucer. The implications were clear. Either Worf was to cease firing, or D1 would be destroyed.

Worf complied.

On both bridge screens, Weyoun's face appeared. He was grinning savagely as he said, "Riker. So wonderful to see you. And Battle Captain Worf. Charmed."

"What do you want, Weyoun?" Riker asked, although it was quite clear.

"I'm sure you have guessed. I spared your ship because I want it. Prepare to be boarded."

"I don't think so," Riker told the Vorta.

"Captain, I'm sure you understand that your section of the ship is unnecessary to me. I can capture the battle section just as easily as yours. Either will do. Your death will serve no purpose."

Riker's tactical officer was watching his captain carefully, and saw his right hand drop to his side, almost as if he was defeated. The fingers of that hand showed an ok gesture. To the bridge tactical officers, that was the signal to begin a process. Each noncombatant who had been dematerialized when battlestations were called, had been saved in buffers. Now, the contents of those buffers were shunted into the communications systems of the SZPM modules. These were connected to Iconia Prime, and once the patterns were transferred there, the people started materializing in a special area.

On D2, the same process was taking place. Then, on both ships, consoles began shutting down and the people occupying them, beamed away to the Sphere. Next, the consoles themselves dematerialized, leaving empty places where important pieces of machinery once resided. When all of the crucial machinery was gone, each fighter was recalled by a transporter beam.

As Weyoun's tactical systems told him what was happening, he fired his weapons at D1. Just before Riker, the last person on board, was beamed away, the bridge exploded. The explosion was nothing, however, compared to the explosion of the ZPMs in the power core of the Federation ship. The six Dominion vessels surrounding the saucer melted away like butter as the shockwave seemed to gather momentum and wreak havoc on the nearer of the Cardassian warships.

On D2, Crusher had worked feverishly at the back of the bridge to draw power from the railgun ZPMs. He finally succeeded in time to transport the crew off the ship, then the battle section exploded the same way the saucer had.

On Iconia Prime, Deanna Riker looked for her husband, getting more and more desperate. She started running through the milling crowd of crew members, calling "Will!" to no avail. Her mind frantically tried to touch his, but still there was only silence. Finally, she collapsed, sobbing at the edge of the crowd, her energy drained.

The Continuum…

William T. Riker had been staring at the viewscreen on his crippled ship when it had felt like a supernova exploded at the tactical station. At least, that's what his mind said it felt like. Obviously, that had not happened, but the point was, he has been caught in an unsurvivable explosion. Yet, here he was, sitting on a dock in Valdez, watching the waves of the Prince William Sound, with the Chugach Mountains towering behind him.

Slowly, he stood. The city looked as he last remembered it. He started walking along the pier, wondering how he had managed to get here. He supposed that maybe he was dead, and this was the afterlife, but that just didn't make sense. He didn't really think that Valdez would be heaven, considering how much trouble he had had with his father while living here.

He glanced up and saw someone he though looked familiar ahead. Several someones, actually. As he drew nearer, he recognized Admiral Picard, Admiral Kirk, Ambassador Spock, and Captain Data. He stopped for a moment, wondering why they were here. As he started walking slowly, two people stepped out of the warehouse to the left, slightly behind the four men. They were Beverly Picard and Janus. Again Riker stopped. He didn't mind finding any of the other five here, in Valdez, but Janus was another thing entirely.

Picard stepped forward and held out his hand. "Will!" he exclaimed. "Welcome!"

The captain stepped forward and grasped his friend and mentor's hand. Something told him that this was not Valdez, no matter how much it appeared to be. "Where are we, exactly? And why is he here?" he finished, pointing at Janus.

"Actually," Beverly said, stepping to her husband's side, "you can thank Janus for your being here and not dead."

"Please don't tell me that he pulled me off of D1's bridge right before it exploded." He faced Janus directly, "Not that I'm not grateful to be alive, but I really don't want to 'owe' you anything."

"There's gratitude for you," Janus said sullenly.

"Janus!" his father said sharply. "Will, he did not just save you. However, his actions long ago did."

Riker sighed and commented, "I think I need to sit down." Suddenly, they found themselves in the briefing room of Enterprise-D. "How…?" he began, then stopped. He decided to accept things for now and sat down.

The rest did as well, with Picard seated at the far end of the table, facing Riker.

"Very good, Captain," Spock commented as he sat. "Even though your mind hasn't fully comprehended, you are able to make use of your powers."

"My powers? Are you saying… No. Data is here."

"Captain Data recently entered a parallel to the energy ribbon that made Jean Luc and myself Q," Kirk explained. "When he did that, he became Q as well."

"I always knew you had it in you, Data," Riker told the former android.

"Thank you, Captain," Data responded.

"So this is the continuum?" Riker asked. "I'm a Q? But how?" He turned to Janus, who was seated on Picard's left, across from his mother.

"Yes, well… It seems once a Q, always a Q."

"I don't get… Wait a minute. You mean…." Riker's voice trailed off as he realized what Janus was saying.

"You've been a Q ever since Janus gave you the powers all those years ago. He wasn't able to remove them from you. Just hide from you the knowledge of how to use them," Beverly told him, holding her son's gaze in a frosty glare.

"Yes, well…" Janus began, then stopped. He sighed.

"I think this should be the last time your antics play catch up with you," Picard told him.

"I certainly hope so," Janus said, casting a furtive glance at the other end of the table and a glaring Riker.

"Yes," Picard continued. "Now, maybe we can get on with life."

"How do I do that?" Will asked. "My ship blew up with me still on it! How do I get on with life?"

"Are you dead?" Kirk asked.

"No."

"Then you get on with life!"

"Captain," Spock said gravely. "You survived against insurmountable odds. There is not a person in this room who hasn't done that at least a few times."

"Now," Kirk continued. "You'd better get to Iconia Prime and tell Deanna that you're ok. She's starting to get upset."


	23. Chapter 23

The crew of Enterprise had been transported to Iconia Prime from the dying ship. They had rematerialized in a large area specially set aside for that purpose. The area was huge, but with the arrival of over fifteen hundred people, it seemed crowded.

Shortly after they arrived, Deanna Riker had been reunited with her husband. His status as a Q had been explained to her, as well as to Worf and Cadman, but to no one else on board. It had been decided long ago, by Jim Kirk, that the fewer people outside the military who knew of Qs being command level personnel in Starfleet, the better.

Deanna Riker, and an Iconian psychologist, Jerry Hutchison, had worked with the crew, helping them get over the sense of loss they felt at the ship's destruction.

Then, after two weeks of being on the sphere, the entire crew was summoned to Earth through the stargate.

On Earth...

William Riker stepped off the transporter pad. He was at Starfleet headquarters in San Francisco, and the man stepping forward to greet him was James Kirk. "Welcome, Will," Kirk said warmly. "How were things at Iconia Prime?"

"Good, Sir. The r and r was great, but the crew is wanting to get back out there."

"Understandable," Kirk said as he steered Riker down a corridor, "and I think I've got just the ship for you to use."

They rounded a corner and Riker stopped. "This is a Section 31 ship?" he asked as he saw where they were heading.

"The bortaS," Kirk confirmed. "She's a Sovereign class vessel."

"Revenge?" Riker asked, translating the Klingon name. "I admit, I've thought of nothing more than getting some since Weyoun destroyed Enterprise, but I'm not sure…." He stopped as Kirk held up his hand.

"She's been recommissioned, Commodore. Her registry is now, NCC-1701-E."

"The new Enterprise is a dreadnaught?" Something Kirk said finally hit home. "Commodore?"

"Yes. You know we transferred Yomato to DS9 right after Enterprise was destroyed. You'll be going back as well. Admiral Picard will ultimately be in control of both airwings. You are in charge of Enterprise' wing."

Riker was stunned but managed, "Thank you, Sir"

"You've earned it, Commodore."

They entered a conference room where they found Worf, and Laura Cadman waiting. They greeted each other, then another door opened and Douglas Fargo entered. Something about the way the younger man walked to the table and sat down bothered Kirk for a moment, then he realized what it was.

"Admiral," Fargo asked, "Is something wrong?" He was scowling somewhat as he asked, and Kirk realized he was staring, his mouth open slightly in an 'oh'.

The admiral shook himself and grinned slightly. "I just realized that you've shaved."

"Yes," Fargo said. "I have. I shave every… morning." He gave Kirk a strange look then asked, "Don't you?"

"Unless I'm camping," Kirk said, then sat down at the table. Riker was giving a strange look at his boss as well, and Kirk shook his head, saying "I'll tell you later."

Fargo decided to let the incident pass. With Q, you never knew what they knew about your future. He stood dramatically, and said, "So, Commodore Riker, Captain Worf, Commander Cadman, I present to you, the Enterprise-E." As he said it, he pushed a button on a remote control in his hand. Nothing happened. He turned it over, and checked on the power cell. Then he looked back at the four waiting expectantly, gave a shaky laugh, and slapped the remote against his other hand a couple of times.

He pressed the button again, the lights dimmed, and a screen lit up on the side wall. There was a fanfare, which settled into majestic classical music as he stood to narrate a presentation he had prepared for them.

"Enterprise-E is a dreadnaught; what we are calling the Sovereign class vessel. She is similar to Prometheus but much larger. While Prometheus is roughly five hundred meters long, Enterprise-E is eight hundred meters. The ships both separate for multi-vector assault mode as well as operating as three separate vehicles. The much larger size of Enterprise makes it naturally not as nimble as Prometheus, however we have given her some extra tricks up her sleeve.

"The saucer section, which retains the name Enterprise while separated, utilizes an Iconian gravity drive for its sublight propulsion. Rather than fit her with warp nacelles, however, we gave her a hyperdrive. It's a very similar engine to the one used by our Nathan Stark. This drive is capable of propelling the entire ship when joined, as are the redundant systems on each of the other parts. As well, the bortaS and Valkyrie have Federation warp cores.

"The major difference with these warp engines is that we have repowered them to utilize ZPM and SZPM technology. Tests run with Prometheus show that their warp drives, rebuilt from the ground up to accept ZPMs make the engines twenty seven percent more efficient than they would be if retrofitted."

"Why bother with warp drive at all?" Cadman asked.

"Redundancy," Riker explained. "We know that hyperspace can be affected by various conditions. Warp drive is tried and true, even if it's not as elegant as hyperdrive."

Cadman nodded, but Riker could see that she wasn't convinced. He shrugged inwardly. He was certain that she would be thankful for the warp drive one day.

"What about weapons?" Worf asked.

Fargo explained, "Each ship carries three more ZPM sets for weapons systems. One powers an ancient style chair and drone armory. Another powers a complete point defense system. The third powers a somewhat different chair and drone armory.

"Let me explain these systems to you. For the point defense system, we use a replicator system to load the weapons in staggered groups of twenty. As each slug takes eight tenths of a second to be materialized, we can reach a firing speed of nearly twenty-five rounds a second. Also mounted on each turret is a pair of phase cannons which alternate firing.

"The standard ancient chair and drones are what we have used for protecting our planets for years. However, we have adapted some technology for the new chairs and drones. We found it long ago, but never put it to use.

"All of you are familiar with our fighter drones, if I'm not mistaken," Fargo continued, looking around for affirmation. "Well, we've modified them a bit. We have severely limited their automatic systems, and installed a control system which taps into their SZPM communications systems. On the other end of that is a control chair, controlling five different fighter drones. The five drones act as an attack formation, and have a bit of autonomy within that. They will follow the basic course set by the pilot in the chair, and will shoot at what the pilot says, but minor course deviations due to external stimuli is up to the drone's onboard computer systems. Lastly, we've added an internal transporter node that has a self transport range of twenty kilometers, with a two second recharge cycle."

"What's the range of the drones?" asked Cadman.

"Each are powered by a mini SZPM, which gives them considerable range," Fargo explained. "Because the SZPM works as their communications link as well, they could conceivably be controlled from Iconia Prime, or even Starfleet Command."

Riker was nodding his head. "I appreciate the battle readiness of this new Enterprise, but what about peace time? Is it only a dreadnaught?"

"Excellent question," Kirk commented, looking at Fargo expectantly.

"We have taken the holographic and replication technology to a new level," the scientist said. He touched a couple of controls on the remote, and the screen changed to show a wide open interior. "This is the unconfigured interior of Enterprise." He touched another control, and the viewpoint tipped down. "You can see the bottom surface of the saucer, below which is Valkyrie, then bortaS. Above, is the bridge and all fixed systems, which include the main transporter room, as well as the controls for the engine rooms and computer mainframes.

"The open space you see here is the crew's quarters, storage, mess… You name it. The entire interior of the ship is configurable. The same areas on board Valkyrie and bortaS are configurable as well."

"What about the bridge?" Riker asked.

"It is configurable, although the overall dimensions of level one are fixed, you can conceivably configure that level however you wish," Fargo replied.

"Impressive," Worf admitted.

Once the briefing was complete, they were transported to the actual ship. The entire crew's quarters had been recreated from Enterprise-D, complete with possessions. The entire crew was then brought aboard so Fargo could train them in the differences between D and E.

Finally, it was time to launch. The ship moved smoothly out of Avalon's spacedock. Riker never tired of seeing the enormous station, and he asked for a rear view on the main screen as they moved through the doors. As soon as they cleared the massive opening, sunlight hit the rear section of E. It flashed across the starboard nacelles, then port, putting in stark relief the most noticeable difference between this vessel and her predecessor. Riker turned to Fargo, who was seated in what would normally be Worf's position. The Klingon, however, was on his own bridge, preparing for the tests they would shortly perform. The ship had already been through her shakedown cruise, as bortaS, but her crew needed to see what she could do.

"That's quite a sight," Riker told Doctor Fargo.

Fargo turned a quizzical expression to the Commodore. "Hmm?"

"Four nacelles."

"Oh! Yes. It gives you the ability to travel at warp nine point nine and above for extended periods too," Fargo told him.

"But that's slow compared to what we can do in hyperspace, correct?"

"The speeds this ship will eventually be able to attain, once hyperspace heals fully as we're hoping it does, will make warp speeds seem like walking, Commodore," Fargo boasted. "At its fastest, the Nathan Stark could reach four hundred thousand LY/h.

Riker didn't comment, but raised his eyebrows. He knew that the Iconians had used the same engine aboard their own ships, and that they had the ability to travel to other galaxies. He really wanted to see that some day.

Of course, he could take Enterprise to another galaxy right now, if he wanted to. He had been to the Pegasus galaxy, to Lantea, as Teal'c had trained him in the use of his powers. The old Jaffa was one of the most powerful Q, and he had been a good teacher. At first, Riker had felt like wiping that serene smile off Teal'c face as he struggled to understand what he was now capable of. As time wore on, however, Riker began to understand, and even like his teacher. Eventually, it was time to return to the present, and he had found himself in Kirk's office once again, moments after being told he wa a Q, now fully trained.

"Viewer ahead. Mr. Hawke, let's see what the gravity drives can do. Plot a course to take us out of the solar system, skirting by each planet as we go."

"Course plotted and laid in, Sir," the helmsman said.

Riker was opening his mouth to give the order, when the turbolift door opened behind him and Teal'c entered the bridge. "Welcome, Teal'c," the commodore told him. "Do your accommodations meet with your approval?" he asked.

"They do indeed, Commodore," the Jaffa replied, inclining his head. "My thanks to you and your quartermaster."

Riker smiled warmly, then turned back to the helm. "Engage," he told him.

With impulse engines, it is normal to hear and feel the rumble of the ship as it accelerates. There is usually no sensation of motion however, unless the inertial dampeners are malfunctioning, something never tolerated by LaForge. Now, however, there was nothing. The crew looked expectantly at the screen, and saw the moon, directly ahead, suddenly jump towards them, but there was no sound, and no sensation. Not even a quiver of the deck.

It took a moment for Hawke to look down at his readouts, he was so transfixed by the wonder of it. "We're at point nine five C, Sir."

"Smooth," LaForge said from his station behind tactical. He had watched the screen and was very impressed as they accelerated.

As they left Earth behind, Fargo asked, "Are you going to exit the solar system on gravity drive?"

Riker said nothing as he watched the screen. Fargo shrugged and let it go. They'd find out what the ship could do soon enough.

The Borg…

Worf and Cadman were standing beside the tactical station, having a discussion.

Riker was listening in, wondering who would prevail. Honestly, it did not matter which of the officers won this 'argument'. Both were competent, and would do an exemplary job in either position. The question was, who would man the tactical station, and who would take the position of executive officer. On board a normal, fixed ship, the executive officer was the first officer, and tactical was head of security. On Enterprise-D, the Battle Captain had manned tactical. Riker had been Picard's executive officer, but when he assumed command, he had asked Worf to assume the position of exec as well as tactical. Now, with a ship that split into three pieces, protocol seemed to indicate that the executive officer be one of the two battle captains.

A signal came from the tactical board, and Worf jumped to respond. "Vessel approaching at high warp, Sir. It appears…" He cut off and double checked. "It is Borg, Sir!"

Cadman almost jumped down the ramp to Riker's level and took the position by his side. He almost smiled as he thought, that decided it quick enough.

"Battlestations!" he ordered, and Worf hit the familiar switch in the corner of his board.

Enterprise hung in space, facing a Borg cube. So far, no move had been made on either side. The Borg had started it's usual, "We are the Borg. Your technological and biological distinctiveness will be added…" Then it cut off. Never before had a Federation ship not heard that resistance would be futile, but this time, it didn't happen.

As the bridge crew was speculating on the meaning of the dropped communication, a signal came from Worf's tactical board. "Incoming communication, Commodore."

"On screen," Riker told him, then faced the viewscreen.

A Borg woman appeared. She was completely bald, and dressed completely in black. Several conduits joined different points on the back of her head, and her skin was almost bone white. "I am the Borg," she said in a surprisingly normal sounding voice.

"You are the Borg?" Riker asked. "The Borg is a collective. There is no room for individuality among them."

"Nevertheless, I AM the Borg. I bring order to chaos," she explained. "You are Riker? You command USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E?"

"That is correct," Riker said. "And who are you?"

"I am the Borg," she said again. "I am the Queen."

Suddenly, in front of the helm station, it seemed as though a green fire erupted. In the midst of the fire, a face was visible. The face turned and addressed the Queen. "I WILL HANDLE THIS," came a sound like every Borg who had ever lived, and the connection was severed. The visage turned back to Riker and the fire glided around Mr. Hawke at the helm and stopped directly in front of Riker.

The commodore glanced back at Worf, who had his phaser in his hand, but had not fired. Riker shook his head, and while the Klingon didn't holster his phaser, or even lower his hand, he relaxed a bit.

The fire coalesced into what appeared to be a woman, albeit a Borg woman, and when she spoke, her voice now sounded strikingly similar to the queen. "I am the Borg. I speak for the whole collective."

"That's funny," Riker said. "That's what the Queen just told us."

"Yes, she did, because she speaks for me. Think of her as my envoy, however, I have decided that I will negotiate with you myself."

"Negotiate?" Worf asked.

"The Borg don't negotiate," Riker said, "they assimilate."

A small smile played across the Borg's lips as she said, "Sometimes I negotiate rather than assimilate. If it suits my purpose."

Teal'c stepped down from where he had been standing by the turbolift doors. "Indeed? And it 'suits your purpose' to negotiate this time?"

"Yes, it does," she said flatly.

"I do not believe you," the Jaffa said.

"You are Teal'c, of the Q," she said. "I am the Empress of the Borg. For all my power, I could not defeat you, even if you were alone. Therefore, it suits my purpose to negotiate."

Hawke turned to look at Teal'c, his eyebrows raised. He had not known that the Jaffa was Q.

"The start of our negotiations is that you will say nothing of my being Q to anyone else," Teal'c said flatly.

"You have my word that I will not expose any Q to anyone else," she said, giving Riker a small smile.

"You are ascended," Teal'c said. "How can a Borg be ascended?"

"You think Anubis could ascend and I could not?" she seemed genuinely insulted.

Fargo, who was still seated in Cadman's chair looked up at Teal'c. "She does have a point, Teal'c," he observed.

"Indeed," the Jaffa agreed. "But Anubis had help. Did you, Empress?" He almost spat the title at her.

"In a manner of speaking," she said, the enigmatic smile on her lips again.

Suddenly, Teal'c pulled back as if slapped. "I know you," he said, shocked.

"Yes," she said as she stepped closer to him, "and I agreed not to divulge your status to anyone. Can you do the same?"

He stepped toe to toe to her and said, "You have no choice. As you have said, you cannot defeat me, even with all the power of the Borg. I could snap my fingers, and every Borg who ever lived would cease to exist. Do you wish to chance that?"

She shook her head, he smile near triumphant. "And then you would be guilty of genocide, Teal'c. You're right. We know each other, and you are incapable of that."

"You should not place your money in that particular depository, Empress," he told her.

"Ah, but I can bank on that, Teal'c," she said, laughing now. "I cannot defeat you, but because I know you, I don't have to. You could have made the followers of Ori cease to exist at anytime, but you didn't. You won't do it now to my followers, either." She turned to Riker and said, "Commodore, I offer the assistance of the Borg in the war with the Dominion."

Riker simply stared. He was too stunned to speak.

At DS9…

When Enterprise dropped out of hyperspace with a Borg cube on its tail, pandemonium threatened to erupt, despite the fact that Riker had warned Picard that they were coming. Qan, Prometheus, and Saratoga took up defensive positions between the station and the cube.

Surprisingly, Riker saw another ship in a defensive position as well. USS Enterprise-A was to starboard of Qan.

At the Helm, Hawke commented, "They're not taking any chances, are they?"

"Would you?" Worf asked. Since they had met up with the Borg cube, he had been on his own bridge on board the bortaS, as had Cadman on the Valkyrie. Their presence on Riker's bridge was holographic. "Incoming hail from A, Sir."

Riker nodded, then said "On Screen." He stood and took a step forward as Kirk's face appeared.

"Hello, Will," he said mildly.

"Admiral," Riker answered evenly.

"I think," Kirk said, "We need to talk. Do you think your friend there would be willing to meet on board A?"

Before Riker could answer, the Borg did. "We will comply."

"I guess so," Riker told Kirk.

Once the connection was severed, he stood and went to the transporter room with Teal'c. They materialized on board A and were escorted to the briefing room by Hendorff, who was the highest ranking fighter pilot in Starfleet. Early in his career however, he had been Kirk's chief of security, and he still filled the position onboard A, whenever she left spacedock.

"Thanks, Cupcake," Riker told him when they arrived outside the door.

"You're welcome, Will. I'll be back with the Empress in a few minutes."

"Are you sure you don't want us there?" Teal'c asked.

"Unnecessary. I will accompany." Riker turned and saw The First step into the corridor. "I believe the Admiral would like to speak to you before the Empress arrives, gentlemen."

Riker and Teal'c entered the room, and were surprised to see Spock seated in his usual place beside the Admiral. As well, Picard, Sisko, and the captains of the various ships in the area were present.

"Welcome," Kirk told them as they sat.

"Thank you, Sir," Riker acknowledged. "Two Spocks here?" he commented.

"The experience has been 'fascinating'," Spock told him.

"I can relate," he agreed, thinking of his alter ego in the prime universe, Thomas Riker.

The transporter room…

The beam released the two people on the pad. They were women, both Borg, both almost identically dressed. The one who was slightly taller stepped forward. "I am the Borg. I will confer with Kirk."

Hendorff stepped forward. "Greetings. I am chief of security on this vessel. I will take you to Admiral Kirk."

The Empress looked at him closely. "You would be chief of security on any vessel. I see by your rank that you are performing a function well below your normal station."

"What the Admiral tells you, Ma'am, will be up to him."

The Borg woman looked away from Hendorff to The First. "You are Q," she said simply.

The First inclined his head slightly.

"And do you have a tongue?" she asked, smiling.

"I have, Ma'am, but I see no reason to confer with you. In this case, I am performing a duty well below my normal station as well."

"So you're the security's security?"

"I am The First," he informed her, gravely.

"So you're even more powerful than Teal'c."

"If it suits you to see it that way then, affirmative."

"But that's not the way it really is?" she asked, curious.

"No," he told her.

"Then how is it?" They were at the door to the briefing room, and The First stopped and faced her.

"Why do you wish to know?" he asked her. "Do you believe that if you understood the continuum you could defeat us? If you do, then you are severely deluded, Madam, and you have my pity." With that, he turned and entered the room.

The Empress and Queen entered the room more slowly, and were motioned to seats on one side of the table.

Kirk made introductions, and when he arrived at the ambassador, the Empress stopped him. "You are the same man," she noted.

"Yes," Spock acknowledged. "I and The First are different versions of the same person."

"But you are not Q," she pressed.

"No," The First interjected, "but there are other Q in this room, and each one has Ambassador Spock under their protection."

"I understand the ramifications of destroying a Q out of time. I also know that I could kill Ambassador Spock because he is not a Q, however, that might stop the Q from being formed, and that is not something I would wish to do."

"Thank you for that insight," Picard told her.

"You're welcome."

Picard turned his attention to the queen. He was curious about her, and thought he remembered her. As he studied her face, it became apparent. "Marie," he breathed.

"I haven't heard that name for quite some time, Jean Luc," the queen told him. "Much longer than you can imagine."

He looked at her, strangely, then realized, "You are a later version of Marie. Your younger self is still on Earth at this moment, isn't she."

"Yes, she is," Marie Picard, the Borg Queen, answered with a predatory smile.


	24. Chapter 24

The Borg had gone back to their cube, and most of the Federation commanders had returned to their ships. Picard sat in the briefing room on A with his great-grandfather, Kirk and The First. Beverly had flashed over as soon as she heard the news of Marie from her husband.

Picard felt defeated, and he imagined that he looked it as well. His first impulse had been to simply pull his sister-in-law out of her Borg persona, but intellectually, he knew that was not something he could do. Obviously, it was within his power, but as his prime universe self had tried to tell Riker years ago when Janus gifted powers to the young man, if you save one person, you have to save them all. Where does it stop?

But he was horrified at what his brother's wife had become. Rene, his nephew, had joined Starfleet, and was training as a fighter pilot. Picard had quietly watched the boy's progress, and was impressed. Robert, unfortunately, had died in a fire at the vineyard, shortly before Picard became Q, as he had in the prime universe. But what he now saw of Marie's future was terrible. He wondered what circumstances had led to her being assimilated.

Beverly was sitting beside him, holding his hand, while Kirk and Spock sat across the table from him.

"Are you going to be okay, Jean Luc?" Kirk asked

"Yes," Picard said, "I believe so. It will just take a bit of time to get accustomed to the fact.."

"I can understand that," Kirk replied. He turned to the First and said, "You haven't said much, Spock. What's your take on all this?"

"Fascinating," the Vulcan commented.

"Something a bit more helpful, Spock?" his friend asked.

"I would if I had anything, Jim. This situation is unique to my experience, however," The First explained. "Obviously, we are dealing with time travel by the Borg, and that travel is from the future. We have no real understanding what might change if we intervene."

Picard eyed the Vulcan in surprise. "I did not consider intervening to even be an option, Spock."

"Nor should it be. As we have discussed before, if we intervene we risk setting a dangerous precedent that we may not be able to follow always."

"We know," Beverly said, "that below the surface, the personality of the drone remains. I would assume that it also remains in a queen."

"Such an assumption, while not without merit, is far from certain," Spock said.

"Agreed," Picard said, "but nevertheless, it should be explored."

"Have any of you bothered to check how much of her physically remains?" Kirk asked, his face full of compassion.

In response, Beverly let her mind drift out to the Borg cube, where she found her husband's sister-in-law. When she scanned Marie, she was horrified at what had been done to her. In revulsion, she withdrew, then fighting nausea, she reached out again. This time, she didn't look at what little remained of the woman. Instead, she touched the mind, and was rewarded with a sense of the Marie Picard who had been at her wedding.

What shocked the Q, however, was that Marie had apparently desired what had been done to her. Surprised, she dug deeper into the queen's mind, making sure there was no trace of her passage, and found what she was looking for.

"Her human body is almost non-existent now," she said as she finished, "but what is even more disturbing is that she wished for this."

"She wanted to be assimilated?" her husband asked. "Why?"

Beverly could tell by Jean Luc's tone that he was fighting to keep his emotions in check. Anyone else would think that he was angered by her revelation, but she knew him better than anyone else. "I know that's hard to accept, Jean Luc, but it's true."

"I don't disbelieve you, Beverly. I just want to know why my level-headed sister-in-law would desire to be assimilated by the Borg."

Beverly reached out and gave the information she had gleaned to Spock, and he nodded understanding. She turned to her husband. "I think this is one time where it is better that you don't know right now. As much as it pains me to keep it from you, Jean Luc, please trust me."

Picard looked from her to Spock, and back again. "When I first met the Iconians, I was frustrated by not being in the know about many things. Then I learned that I would become a Q, and I assumed that when I did, I would understand all of these formerly unknown things. Now, I find that my wife, who also happens to be Q, is keeping things from me." He glared at her for a few moments, then said, "You know I could find out myself."

"I have no doubt about that. The only person who could conceivably stop you is Spock."

"Should you choose to satisfy your desire for understanding, I will not prohibit you, Jean Luc," Spock told him. He understood fully why Picard wished to know.

For a long moment, Picard eyed the other three, then slowly nodded. "I will accept our word that this was what she wanted." He paused and looked closely at The First. "For now."

"We can't ask for any more," Kirk said.

The bridge of the A…

Kirk strode onto the bridge. He was always grateful of the people who served aboard his ship. Several of the people weren't even Starfleet anymore. Spock and Uhura had married long ago, and left to teach at the Vulcan Science Academy. Shortly after they left, President Sulu appointed Spock as Federation Ambassador to the Romulan Empire.

Demora Sulu was on her father's staff, and had told Kirk that while her father would undoubtedly be preferable, she was more than willing to remain the helm officer when one was needed.

Scotty had risen to the rank of senior engineer of Starfleet, stayed there for about fifty years, then left to chair the newly formed Staricon Engineering. He and LaForge kept each other apprised of what was going on in their respective fields. In fact, that he be kept informed about Starfleet tech was a condition for his leaving. That and that he remain as chief engineer aboard Enterprise-A.

Because of the nature of the crew, she wasn't really considered a ship of the line. Much more, Kirk's personal yacht. She was armed as fully as any other vessel, and though she was much smaller than any of the newer ships, she could hold her own in a fight.

"Admiral on the bridge," Hendorff said as Kirk stepped off the lift.

Before anyone could stand, Kirk told them, "As you were." He was mildly amused as Hendorff was one of the only Starfleet officers here, and he was an admiral himself. Kirk wore the insignia of Fleet Admiral, where his security chief was a vice admiral, however.

Kirk had just settled into his chair when Uhura received a signal. "Incoming signal from Admiral Paris, Sir."

"Put it on the viewer," he told her.

The picture of E vacated the screen, and Admiral Paris' face replaced it. "Hello, Owen," Kirk said casually.

"Sir," the younger man said, "I have a matter of utmost importance to relay to you."

His inference was clear. This was a matter that he was giving Kirk the option of sharing with his bridge crew. Every person on A had security clearance as high as possible, so for Paris to hesitate, Kirk knew that the situation was indeed grave.

"Go ahead, Admiral," Kirk told him.

Paris smiled. He agreed with Kirk's assessment of his people, but he wanted to let the Fleet Admiral know the importance. Those on the bridge of A would understand the situation as well. "Starfleet intelligence just received word that the Tantalus vaults were breached."

Kirk felt his head swim as he thought of what was stored there. "Was anything taken?"

"Somehow, the shields were bypassed and the tubes were removed, Sir."

Kirk hung his head. He had hoped to not have to deal with this, but… That was probably too much to ask for. "Any idea who is responsible?"

"I'm afraid not, Sir." Paris looked at the bridge crew on his screen. He didn't want to seem too friendly with the Commander of Starfleet, but he wanted Kirk to know that he cared. "Jim, those people in Starfleet Security are good. They'll get them back. You deal with the Dominion, and let security deal with Khan this time."

Kirk grimaced, and looked down at his hands. Khan had been asleep for nearly a century, and would have changed not at all. But in that century, Kirk had changed physically, very little. He looked, perhaps five years older. The lifespan for a normal, unaugmented human with good medical help was around one hundred thirty to a hundred fifty. Augmentation had multiplied that by three for the normal human. Average augmentation for a human was considered level three. It was based on what had been done to Khan and his followers, but toned down considerably. Kirk, however, had received a direct injection of the unmodified augment virus that Khan had. His augmentation was the same as Khan's which made him a level five. As well as being five times the strength of a normal, unaugmented human, his lifespan was correspondingly longer. Of course, his strength and lifespan were made moot when he became a Q. He knew that he could find Khan in the blink of an eye as could The First. But should they? Was this a problem he should simply fix? He was unsure, and that was the problem. "I appreciate it, Owen," he told the man on the screen, "but I don't know that can justify leaving this for security. I feel like I should be involved."

"I understand, Admiral," Paris told him. Kirk was somewhat of a mentor to him. The commander in chief had become the youngest captain in Starfleet years ago, and while Paris hadn't been the youngest captain, he was the youngest to be promoted to Admiral since the augment virus had taken hold, beating Jean Luc Picard's record by three days. Now, he could see how the stress was about to pile up on Kirk, and he wanted to help in any way he could. "Please remember, Sir, I'm here for you," he said as he signed off.

Once the screen was back on E, Kirk heard a very soft, "We all are," from the Helm position.

"Thank you, Demora," Kirk said. The use of her first name, caused several of the bridge crew to glance in the Admiral's direction. It was something he almost never did with his own crew, more out of respect than a sense of propriety. This was a special case, however. His friends needed to know that he appreciated the sentiment.

The Equinox…

Henry Deacon and his wife, Grace, had been working on a ship for Starfleet, and while Riker was at Earth, he had toured it. It was considerably smaller than any of the new ships. She was a nova class starship, and roughly the size of the original, Enterprise NX-01. It had the traditional shape of a Federation vessel, and looked much like a miniature E.

Equinox had left spacedock and gone on her shakedown voyage with the Deacons on board. Once everything checked out, she cruised into Bajoran space, gracefully. Her captain, Rudolph Ransom, was a relatively new commander. He was one of the new scientific commanders, and had little battle training. His ship, however, was a scout. She could do some scientific surveys, but was not designed for extensive data collection.

"Welcome, Captain Ransom," Kirk announced to Equinox when she entered the sector.

"Thank you, Admiral," Ransom answered, cheerfully. "Happy to be here, Sir."

Equinox was scheduled to test a new drive alongside Prometheus, and Henry and Grace would oversee the testing. The little ship had received an engine based on a warp drive, but with hyperspace capabilities. Her warp drive would help to stabilize her hyperspace window

The Qan...

As the two ships prepared, Picard received a message from Data, asking him to meet in the android's quarters on board Qan. Picard and Beverly flashed to the Nebula Class ship, and into Data's quarters. The Captain was sitting behind his desk, working on a report.

"Ah," he said, standing, "you have arrived." He stepped around the desk and faced his friends. "Thank you. I have a confession to make."

Picard cocked his head for a moment and asked, "And what is that, Data?"

"When I looked into my life in the prime universe, I saw that I had built a daughter there. Her name was Lal, but she 'died' shortly after I built her. I could not leave her in the situation she was in, as her body was dead, but her consciousness had been transferred to my prime universe mind. A few days ago, I made her a body with a 'body printer', and her mind has been transferred into it."

"The irony," came the voice of The First as he appeared on the other side of the room, "is that the body printing technology was originally built to save your daughter, later in her life."

Data cocked his head and told the Vulcan, "I do not understand."

"No, Captain, but in time, you will." The First turned to Picard. "Admiral, You are concerned that Data has broken the law of the Q."

"Yes, First, I am."

"Were I to argue with the actual mechanics of his act," the First said, a small smile on his lips, "I would have to question my own being. You see, in the prime universe, I was in a similar state to Lal. My body had died while my Katra lived. Normally, my mind would have been placed in Mt. Seleya, however, my body rejuvenated. Thus, a refusion was possible. That is not so much different than what has happened with Lal."

"I see the similarities, however, Data made a body for Lal. It did not spontaneously regenerate," Picard argued.

"That is true, Admiral, however, I submit this to you. This technology of printing a body for a still living mind was developed to save Data's daughter, on Earth, over three hundred thousand years ago. I do not dispute that Data should not have pulled Lal from the prime universe, however, by doing so, he has allowed events to unfold the way they were meant to."

"I understand what I did, and I accept the consequences, First," Data told the Vulcan. Turning to the Admiral, he announced, "You may do with me what you will, Sir. I willingly broke a very important law."

"According to the law of the Q," Picard said, sadly, "We are to banish you, Captain Data. That is something I do not wish to do, my friend."

"Yet I willingly broke a law, Sir, and I would gladly do it again."

"Captain Data," The First said quietly, "I do not wish to do this any more than Jean Luc. However, I understand your willingness to accept your discipline." He turned to Picard and said, "I suggest an alternative. I propose that we allow Captain Data to travel to anyplace in time he chooses. He may do whatever is necessary to allow Lal and himself to blend into whatever society he chooses. Then, he must live as a member of that species, not using his powers. As an added condition, Lal may not know of her origins, nor may she know of her father's powers."

Reluctantly, Picard nodded his head. He didn't like banishing a friend, but he knew that with the powers of the Q, the law must be maintained.

Data nodded and waved a hand. Suddenly, he appeared to be a human. His skin was still very light, but he looked within the range of normality. He blinked and Picard was surprised to see that his eyes were tan, rather than the yellow that they had been.

"I will miss you all," Data said solemnly.

Beverly reached out and put her arms around the former android. She was crying. "We'll miss you too, Data."

When his wife finally let go, Picard hugged his friend too. "Safe journey, my friend."

Riker appeared and shook his friend's hand, then Sam and Jack, Daniel Jackson, Kirk, and it seemed, every Q in existence, flashed in and out of the cabin.

Finally, it was just the original four. Data turned to the Vulcan, and held up his hand. "Peace and long life, First," he intoned.

"Live long and prosper, Eric Marten," the First said.

Data nodded, accepting the Vulcan's revelation of his identity. "Thank you, Sir." Then there was a flash and he was gone.

There was a muffled sob from Beverly, then she flashed back to DS9.

Picard sighed, and followed.

The Vulcan surveyed the cabin, wiped a small tear from the corner of his left eye, then disappeared.

Prometheus…

Kathryn Janeway was seated in the command chair of Voyager. The ship was at battlestations, so technically, Chakotay was in charge. He recognized her expertise as a scientist, however, so was letting her run the show.

While waiting for Equinox to be finished, the two had finally tied the knot in the Bajoran chapel on DS9. Now, they were going to follow the smaller ship as it tested the new hyperdrive system. With the added benefits of the warp nacelles on Equinox, it was projected that it could achieve approximately ninety thousand times C with no more energy than the NX-01 had used to travel at warp four.

B'Elanna Torres entered the bridge, muttering. Janeway turned and eyed the young engineer. "What's going on, B'Elanna?"

"It's that human!" the half Klingon woman almost shouted. "Dr. McKay! He is so sure of his figures."

"And is he wrong?" Janeway was amused.

"No! Not according to him. He's gone over them twice." She slapped her hand against the engineering console in front of her, and it made an indignant sounding chirp. She turned to Janeway chagrined. "Sorry."

"Have you spoken to anyone else about this?" Janeway tried another tack.

"No one else has the guts to stand up to him!" B'Elanna was almost shouting now. "Apparently, Admiral Picard is good friends with McKay too, although I can't see why."

Paris was at the helm, snickering.

"Sure, Flyboy," the engineer ranted, "You can laugh. He doesn't bother you."

Paris turned and gave a questioning look at Janeway. "Go ahead, Tom," the captain told him.

Paris nodded, then turned to the young Klingon woman. "Actually, when we were testing Prometheus, I came onto the bridge finishing an orange. Dr. McKay was just leaving the bridge, and we collided. He saw an orange slice in my hand and almost screamed at me to keep it away from him. Ever since, each time he sees me, he backs away for fear I might contaminate him or something."

"It seems that Dr. McKay has a very bad allergy to citrus," Janeway concluded. "But that's not the only run in Mr. Paris has had with him. Some of our pilot's maneuvers have left the doctor with space-sickness."

"That's ridiculous!" B'Elanna said. "The inertial dampeners have been running perfectly the entire trip."

"I know," the captain soothed her.

"It's just the motion on the screen," Paris explained. "Although, maybe I shouldn't have turned the dampeners down a bit when the good doctor started to get annoying." He looked at the captain and shrugged. "I know I shouldn't have done it, Captain."

Before he could say anything more, she held up her hand to stop him. "I haven't heard anything, Tom. Besides. He was annoying me too," she finished with perfect comic timing.

"I must confess," Tuvok said, stepping into the conversation, "that Doctor McKay is one of the most egotistical men I have ever met."

"He is brilliant," Harry Kim said from his ops station, "but he is very hard to work with."

"I'm sorry, Harry," Janeway said. "I forgot that you work with McKay regularly."

"That's okay, Ma'am," Kim assured her. "To be honest, McKay probably wouldn't have gotten spacesick from the amount Tom turned down the inertial dampeners. Of course, when I adjusted the gravity down on the bridge at the same time, it probably didn't help his stomach any."

Chakotay had been studying a padd in his hand, but when Kim added his punch line, he snorted. Janeway looked at him, surprised, then started laughing herself. When the butt of their humor himself, stepped out of the turbolift, the laughter spread throughout everyone on the bridge, with the exception of Tuvok, of course.

"What's so funny," McKay asked as he looked around. The laughter got harder, and he got a disgusted look on his face. "Oh, I see," he said, turning and stepping back into the lift.

On DS9…

Picard received a call on the intercom from Kira.

"Yes, Major," he responded.

"Sir, I just got a report from Vedek Wynn, on Bajor. Apparently, there are some Iconians on Bajor that shouldn't be."

"Some Iconians?"

"Yes, Admiral. They are being escorted here by Vedek Bareil "

"I'm on my way," the Admiral said as he stood.

When he arrived at ops, Sisko informed him, "They're docking now, Sir."

Picard, Sisko, and Kira made their way to the docking pylon where the Bajoran ship had connected. The door rolled aside, and Picard recognized the man who stepped out.

"John Sheppard!" he exclaimed. Behind the human were Teyla Emmagan, Rodney McKay, and Ronan Dex.

"Hello," Sheppard said, looking quizzically at Picard. "Do I know you?"

Equinox...

Ransom turned as the turbolift doors opened. Douglas Fargo stepped down to his command chair and told him, "We're ready, Captain."

"Very good," Ransom said. He turned to communications. "Contact Enterprise and tell them we're ready."

A few moments later, Enterprise answered back. "Prometheus announces that they're ready as well."

Ransom told his helmsman, "Engage the hyperdrive."

DS9...

Jack O'Neill was visiting DS9 for the first time. He, Teal'c, Bratac, and Jack Carter were seated in Quark's bar. He was lifting a glass to his lips when he received a call on his communicator badge. It was similar to a Federation comm badge, but it was shaped as a stargate with five stars surrounding it, denoting his rank. He tapped the badge. "O'Neill here," he said.

"This is Dax, in ops, Sir. Admiral Picard told me to contact you and request that you come to ops as well."

"Alright. What's it about, Dax?"

"Equinox and Prometheus have disappeared from our scanners."

"That's what they were supposed to do, Lieutenant."

"Not like this, Sir. You might want to come up here."

The four stood, and made their way to ops, where they met Picard, and surprisingly, John Sheppard.

"What are you doing here, Sheppard?" O'Neill asked him.

"He's still on Cardassia Prime as well," Picard told the general.

"More time manipulation?" Carter asked.

"No, I do not think so, but we will return to this subject later," Picard told them. He turned to Dax. "What have you got regarding the missing ships, Lieutenant?"

"I'm not sure, Sir. There is not debris where they were at. We were able to track them into the badlands, but there, they disappeared."

"There is no wreckage in the badlands either?" Teal'c asked.

"Negative. Nothing." She turned towards Picard and Sisko. "They're gone!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends "Rise of Iconia". We will start posting "The Fall of Iconia" in a few weeks. Thanks for reading this, and we invite you to follow the Iconians and the Federation as they meet the Battlestar Galactica and the Colonials in the next installment.


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